Baptism of fire forces hot Ross to catch breath

MOST players express a desire to get right back on the horse after a defeat such as Ireland’s against France but not Mike Ross.

The tight-head prop is more than happy to set the saddle aside until the trip to Scotland in two weeks’ time.

He can hardly be blamed for that.

Prior to the tournament’s opening game against Italy nine days ago, the Leinster prop’s only international experience was a pair of caps against Canada and the United States back in 2009.

“It is pretty much what I expected,” he said after Sunday’s three-point loss. “It is a step-up in intensity from the Heineken Cup, a step-up in speed. That is probably the most knackered I have ever been after a game. I was pleased enough that I managed to stay on.”

He did much more than that.

The sight of Thomas Domingo called ashore after 50 minutes was further confirmation that Ross has upheld his part of the bargain with Declan Kidney by bringing solidity to a scrum that had been such a weak link in the Irish armoury.

“It’s a work in progress. You saw what the French scrum did to the Scots last week and you saw what they did to the Australians and even the Argentinians in the autumn internationals. It’s only our second game together as a pack, so I’m very confident we’ll keep improving. I was reasonably happy with how it went.”

Ignored for the autumn internationals, it is difficult to envisage a scenario short of injury that would keep Ross out of this Irish side for the foreseeable future.

He might not see it that way but he already seems to be as integral to the XV as John Hayes was, albeit for very different reasons.

“You have to take each game, you’re only as good as your last game.

“If you’re given a chance you have to keep taking it.

“Every time you have an international game all you want is another one.

“I have to do my best to keep a hold of the jersey because there’s still stiff competition there.

“You have to be at the top of your game. You are always looking for things to improve on. You would never be completely happy with a game, even if you ran in five tries or something.

“You have to be hard on yourself, you have to look for what you didn’t do and look to improve on it the next time. It’s how you stay where you are.”

When he rewinds the tape on his opening two Six Nations appearances he will surely allow himself a metaphoric pat on the back because the most sadistic of men could not have presented him with a more testing introduction to the northern hemisphere’s elite competition.

Next up are the Scots whose reputation at the game’s trademark set piece is nothing like that of the Italians or the French.

Beyond that is a Welsh front row devoid of Gethin Jenkins and Matthew Rees, British and Irish Lions.

On paper, at least, Ross and the rest of the Irish front row should be afforded a less gruelling physical and technical examination, then, but the man himself isn’t quite envisioning a saunter down Easy Street in the weeks to come.

“England have a handy enough scrum. I know most of the lads from my time in the Premiership and there are some good operators there.

“Wales, despite the fact they’ve lost their two front-liners, I’ve been watching them and they still have tasty back-up in there.

“Scotland seem to be going through a rough patch but you can never take a side for granted because that’s when they’ll turn the screw on you.”

That said, on the evidence of the opening two Six Nations weekends, it would seem that both Celtic cousins are eminently beatable, even if the 2009 Grand Slam champions will be taking up digs in the away dressing room on both occasions.

Beyond that awaits a return to the Aviva Stadium and the possibility that Ireland will be all that stands between Martin Johnson’s men and a Grand Slam of their own.

Who knows, maybe Ireland will even have a shot at the championship themselves. Or a Triple Crown at least.

Ross added: “If England keep playing the way they did yesterday then you’ve got to imagine they’ll be coming to us for a Grand Slam.

“I don’t know, it’s tough playing away twice.

“Away to Scotland, away to Wales, they’re not easy fixtures but we have to get through those before we start thinking about England.”