All Blacks can be beaten, says Kiss

IT hasn’t quite reached the proportions of the economic collapse just yet, but the trajectory of the Irish rugby team seems set on a downward spiral.

The narrow victory over Samoa at the weekend ended the six game losing streak, but the formlines ahead of Saturday evening’s date with the All Blacks would suggest the next defeat is around the corner.

Much like those politicians trying to convince the public that the ECB and IMF aren’t knocking at our doors, the IRFU rolled out their very own Dermot Ahern yesterday, Les Kiss.

The Australian’s sunny disposition threw the assembled media, gathered for a post mortem, with little optimism ahead of going toe to toe with a side who were so rampant at Murrayfield last weekend.

For, if Ireland couldn’t get quick ball against Samoa – surely the prospect of the best back-row in world rugby means the Irish backs are in line for another evening of slow, stagnant ball?

A limp 65 minutes against the Springboks and the less than inspiring outing last weekend means Ireland expect very little this weekend.

But Kiss? He reckons the tourists, who Ireland have never beaten and are coming into the game having won 17 of their last 18 Test matches, can be defeated.

The message from Ireland’s defence coach was, “I wouldn’t say we’re happy, but…”

“We’re one from two,” he reasons. “I think it’s not where we like it to be but it’s going in the direction we want it to be. We’re not totally happy in terms of some performance things we need in place. But there’s some good industry going in there and some good discussion about how we can improve. They are in certain areas in terms of looking at it logically.

“Against South Africa, we gave them 10 easy points and that’s a hard thing to pull back against South Africa, but we nearly did pull it back.

“Against Samoa, the primary goal was to win it. Obviously we would have liked to have had a performance with that but there are a couple of things within that which are pushing us in the right direction. Internally we feel confident about that. Obviously we still have to go out and put the 80 minutes on and that’s the challenge for us.”

Kiss said the selection of Keith Earls will depend on how he does for Munster against Australia tonight, while Rob Kearney trained yesterday and Cian Healy is nursing a bad dead leg after his second-half cameo on Saturday.

Ireland’s tries on Saturday came from forward muscle and Samoa switching off. The backline has not fully functioned at this stage but Kiss reckons it’s not all bad.

“The bottom line and beauty of this game is that it’s built for a lot of different styles and a lot of different players and skill-sets that come with that. As much as you would like to be entertaining and expansive, there’s an adaptiveness and pragmatism that needs to come into play. It’s just about getting that balance in terms of conditions.

“I wouldn’t say we’re totally happy with the way it’s gone for us but we’re working towards a way to find the platforms whereby we can exert that pressure. It’s a little frustrating and that’s a bit of the anxiety we probably feel about that. It’s a win that we needed and it ticked that particular box for us.”

So how do Ireland stop the behemoth at the Aviva Stadium?

Kiss’s primary job is working on the defensive line, but he thinks denying the All Blacks opportunities to counter is the main strategy Ireland must employ.

“The important thing is to find what we think are the areas where we can stress their game and put them under a little bit of pressure,” he explained. “You need to play the game at a pace that doesn’t suit them. If you kick long and give them quick throw-ins, you invite a new set of issues. If you turn over the ball easily, you present them with the platforms that they like to launch from. They love a loose game, they can play from set-piece for sure, but it’s around 72% that they scored from quick taps, quick throws and unstructured play. That part of their play is unbelievable.”