We fought the law and the law won

WHEN will Irish teams, especially those with a half dozen experienced Munster players in key positions, ever truly understand the laws of rugby football?

True, they are intricate and mystifying at times, but we are talking about exceptionally well paid professionals who spend so much time going over every single little facet of the game that they should surely have got the hang of things by now.

Munster would probably still be in the Heineken Cup if they hadn’t fallen foul of a succession of referees. The pattern hasn’t changed a whole lot since as the younger brigade suffered the same fate in Treviso on Sunday with two players in the bin at the same time.

I’m not suggesting Munster players were responsible for the flow of penalties against Ireland on Sunday but Leinster didn’t seem to have the same difficulty with officials on their way to a home Heineken Cup quarter-final.

Coach Declan Kidney was clearly annoyed at the stupidity that led to the string of decisions against his side. As they go through the video before the Scottish game on Sunday week, a number of players will be hauled over some very hot coals.

However, the referees and their interpretation of the laws must also come under the microscope. Frenchman Romain Poite, not for the first time, drove the Irish mad in the game in Rome last week. On Sunday, it was the turn of England’s Dave Pearson to whistle them off the park.

Are Poite and Pearson and others like Nigel Owens, Wayne Barnes and their colleagues from the Southern Hemisphere blowing us up for the fun of it? Have they got something against the Irish? Or could it just be we are the architects of our own misfortune?

A few red faced gentlemen I saw throw profane abuse at Pearson on Sunday clearly believed the answer to the first two questions was yes. ! However, as they calmed down later and dissected the video, I suspect they may have accepted the home side were the architects of their own downfall.

However, there may be grounds for questioning Pearson’s impartiality as many believe he went into the game with the preconceived notion Irish teams have scant respect for the laws.

Munster have almost certainly suffered here and it now looks as if Ireland could be suffering a similar fate.

Sadly, of course, this was a game that should have been won. Three tries to one in Ireland’s favour says a lot but in the end too many handling errors ruined our chances. The French were also jittery and their back line did not move with anything like the fluency one would expect on such a perfect afternoon.

Despite the Irish disappointment there were a lot of positives to be taken by the management after the ineptitude in Rome. All three tries were splendidly created and taken and had a forward pass not ruled out the marvellous effort finished off by Luke Fitzgerald in the first couple of minutes, we would be celebrating one of the greatest of all Irish scores.

Kidney will be delighted with that as he looks forward to Murrayfield. His selection decisions so far have come in for a deal of criticism but by and large thatseems somewhat harsh. The two half-back positions remain a huge issue. Ronan O’Gara has handled his demotion quite admirably but you wonder how much longer that can last should Kidney continue to leave him on the bench. I suspect he will start against Scotland or Wales and then will come the big call for the showdown with England.

Tomás O’Leary has become an easy target for the pundits and there is no denying he doesn’t fully measure up in the primary duties of a scrum-half. Equally, though, it is most unlikely Eoin Reddan or Peter Stringer would have made the try line as O’Leary did on Sunday and, of course, therein lies Kidney’s dilemma.

Gordon D’Arcy’s missed tackle on Aurelien Rougerie essentially cost Ireland the game and he needs a big performance to restore his confidence and justify his retention as Brian O’Driscoll’s centre partner.

He should do so only because Paddy Wallace, whom Kidney seems to regard as his logical replacement, simply isn’t up to it at this level. However, it could be a different story when Tommy Bowe is fit again.

The entire back-row performed excellently on Sunday although Stephen Ferris could unseat one of the trio should he prove his fitness over the next week or so.

The front-row of the scrum, as ever, remains a major debating point and it’s an area where Kidney has options. He won’t have forgotten John Hayes or Tony Buckley and it’s a toss up between Cian Healy and Tom Court at loose head. And each and every one will heed skipper Brian O’Driscoll’s warning that “they must front up or miss out.”

However, after Rome, Sunday’s game has brightened the scenario appreciably and there is plenty to savour before high-flying England arrive at the Aviva on March 19.