Time is running out for Ireland to get it right

LET us just park the illegal lineout controversy by the side of the road for awhile and consider the real reasons why Ireland fell asleep at the wheel in Cardiff on Saturday.

Quite rightly this season and allied to the several new interpretations of rugby’s laws that have come into play, the development of an Ireland side capable of taking on the world’s best with an expansive running game has been the overriding objective of Declan Kidney and his coaching team.

That has inevitably taken the team into some pot-holes as well as down a wrong turn or two but Ireland have proven in patches against New Zealand last November and throughout this Six Nations campaign that they have the quality of player to implement an attractive, effective style of attack backed by a solid defence that is capable of running in tries with the best of them.