Time for another big step
Hilarity ensues as he tries to match Groucho’s every move and the action progresses to the point where the pair even swap places.
It is tempting to imagine Wales and Ireland performing this sketch when they run out at the Millennium Stadium at 5pm this evening for their fourth-round clash in the 2011 RBS 6 Nations, for their progress since each winning a Grand Slam in 2008 and 09 respectively bears an uncanny similarity.
Both endured disappointing title defences that prompted a reassessment of the way forward as Warren Gatland, who will break the national record of Alan Davies by taking charge of Wales for the 36th time, and Declan Kidney plotted a path to this autumn’s World Cup which embraced the new law interpretations introduced to encourage expansive, running rugby.
Almost inevitably, both nations suffered some pain along the way in 2010 while showing some signs of promise with the new style of play. And 2011 has seen a continuation of the mirror gag, albeit with more than a little smoke to go with it.
There is much more of a parallel between Ireland and Wales than their respective campaigns of two wins and one defeat in the championship, aside from the fact that both sides’ victories came away from home against Italy and Scotland.
The potential for expansive, creatively-fashioned attack is clear in both sides, as has been the frustration of seeing that potential stymied by sloppy handling and at times poor decision-making.
And let’s not get started on the disciplinary issues around the tackle area that both sides must correct if they are not to become completely consumed by the matter going into their final games next weekend.
It all makes for an extremely tight game that could go either way, on the turnover of ball or maybe an all-too-easily conceded penalty, with Ireland in particular on alert, having been dressed down by Kidney last week and with Wales including long-range kicker Leigh Halfpenny on the wing.
After Ireland’s trials and tribulations at the hands of French ref Romain Poite, Englishman Dave Pearson and Nigel Owens of Wales, both camps seem happy to play to the whistle of South Africa’s Jonathan Kaplan today, despite Gatland appearing to jump on the ‘dirty Ireland’ bandwagon pursued by other rival coaches.
Southern hemisphere ref Kaplan likes to encourage the open, running game both teams aspire to and his presence could enable today’s teams to finally fully embrace it.
Not that Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll subscribes to the view that his side have yet to hit their stride.
“I think we’ve gotten out of third gear in some of our attacking play, just other parts of our play have let us down,” he said yesterday.
“We’ve scored good tries, we just have to be a little more consistent over an 80-minute period. Test matches will always be close if you only play for 40 and allow the other team to play for 40, which is essentially what we’ve done. We must be a bit more commanding in our own play and when we have hold of the ball, and be a little better when we don’t.”
The same could have been said by Welsh skipper Matthew Rees but if there is a difference, a point at which the Welsh and Irish graphlines diverge, it might be in the respective choices at fly-half.
Whereas Ireland have opted for the game management and experience of Ronan O’Gara to carry on in place of the more instinctive and running-oriented Jonny Sexton, Wales have gone in the opposite direction, swapping ringmaster Stephen Jones for the more off-the-cuff, ball-in-hand mentality of the younger James Hook.
It will be a fascinating head-to-head. If O’Gara can find the corners with his tactical kicking that he managed up at Murrayfield two weekends ago, Hook may find himself running the ball out of his own 22 an awful lot.
For all the gloom and doom surrounding both sides, a title is still very much on the cards for each.
Whoever wins will go into their final match looking for a fourth victory, with Ireland gunning for a potential Grand Slam spoiler over England in Dublin and Wales meeting France in Paris. O’Driscoll certainly isn’t ruling out any championship talk.
“All we can do is try to win our last two games and with regards to points differences and stuff, that has no bearing on you when you have a game this weekend and then one to go the following week.
“What is attainable is that we can still chase silverware in terms of a Triple Crown and the second part of that is this weekend so there’s no point in thinking about the third part of it if we slip up in the second part.”
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