Time to make case for the offence

BY this time next week the guessing games will be over as Declan Kidney will have announced his final squad of 30 players entrusted with the responsibility of representing Ireland at the World Cup.

It is a seminal moment in the career of any player; however decorated he may be, as opportunities like this come about on precious few occasions in the lifespan of a professional player.

Take the example of Gavin Henson. For one reason or another he missed out on the chance to represent Wales at the 2003 and 2007 World Cups and still felt that pain despite the other distractions in his life.

In exile for the best part of the last two seasons, he set his heart on making it this time around but a broken bone in his wrist against England on Saturday looks to have ended that dream.

For those on the margins of Ireland’s World Cup odyssey, the next three days will prove crucial to their aspirations with the games against Connacht tomorrow and France on Saturday the last chance to force Kidney’s hand.

Kidney went through a bit of an emotional roller coaster in the claustrophobic atmosphere of the Stade Chabal-Delmas on Saturday night as he witnessed an Irish side that looked to be lacking in creative ideas in the opening 25 minutes of an entertaining test match. The character of the Irish players was seriously called into question in the most intimidating of arenas and the manner in which the players, and management, dealt with the situation augers well for the coming weeks.

After consecutive defeats however, it is now time for the Irish side to start shifting through the gears and converting opportunities into points. The most disappointing aspect of the last fortnight has not been the defeats but the failure to register a try in those two outings. Central to that on Saturday night was the failure of the set piece to execute under pressure in the scoring zone. The Irish scrum and lineout was found wanting at crucial times and that is a serious confidence blow. It confirmed the fact once again that there is a vast chasm between our first choice front row — at this juncture Cian Healy, Jerry Flannery and Mike Ross — and the rest.

Flannery must be afforded the opportunity to start on Saturday in order to assess how long his lungs will last after his injury-enforced absence.

On one occasion in the second half the Munster brains trust of Paul O’Connell and Ronan O’Gara discussed the options open to them from a penalty deep in French territory — kick or corner.

O’Gara, who had been kicking magnificently from placed balls to that point, opted for the posts and while I was in favour of that decision as it had the capacity to catapult Ireland into the lead for the first time in the game, I wonder how much the decision was influenced by the uncertainty that surrounded Ireland’s lineout at the time.

That lack of trust in one of the fundamental elements of the game needs to be eradicated immediately.

Defensively, Ireland have shown they will be very difficult to breach and I am sure that the Australian management are working on ways to deal with the line speed in defence which Ireland bring to the table. Two tries conceded against opposition that have dominated possession for vast periods of the games to date augurs well from that perspective.

The focus must now be shifted to improving the set piece which will help Ireland to hold on to the ball for longer periods and enable them to expand their attacking options. In that context the two remaining fixtures against France and England over the next two weekends are now key to launching a successful assault at the World Cup.

It would also help if Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy are reunited in midfield as soon as possible.

Kidney has planned the last few months meticulously and now needs to see some dividends. Ireland’s performance in the final 10 minutes in the stifling heat in Bordeaux certainly reflects well on the conditioning work carried out over the summer when they looked fitter than their French counterparts.

THE French, who for some crazy reason arrived in Dublin on Sunday afternoon, are still infuriating to watch. They remain brilliant but brittle. In the right hands they could be sensational but Marc Lievremont continues to blunt their natural instinct to attack, picking the likes of Damien Traille at full-back while ignoring the attacking flair of Maxime Medard. As a result they remain indecisive and vulnerable. Ireland must punish that vulnerability on Saturday evening.

With Conor Murray set to start against Connacht tomorrow evening it is clear he remains in the frame for a dramatic rise up the ranks of Irish rugby and appears locked in a direct fight with Isaac Boss for the third scrum-half role. Sadly it appears Peter Stringer is out of the equation after years of sterling service. But with Kidney you can never be sure. I think Murray would bring a freshness and a new energy to the squad that can rub off on the more senior players. The manner with which he slotted into the most demanding of surroundings on Saturday night told you everything you needed to know about his temperament and his mental fortitude.

Four years ago Eddie O’Sullivan refused to reserve any slot for youthful exuberance and the likes of Tommy Bowe, Jamie Heaslip, Luke Fitzgerald, Tomás O’Leary and Rob Kearney all lost out. Within a period of 20 months, all had been selected for a Lions tour. Murray is worth the gamble.

Elsewhere, three of Ireland’s pool opponents were in action last weekend with some interesting outcomes. Australia’s win against the first string Springbok side in Durban provided them with a real confidence boost and sets them up nicely for a clash with the All Blacks in 10 days. Italy were surprisingly held to seven points by a game Japanese outfit while Eddie O’Sullivan’s American charges have had a disastrous run in to the tournament, losing for the second successive weekend to local rivals Canada. The Wallabies apart, there was nothing for Ireland to be too concerned about with the focus now firmly placed on securing two wins and a decent send off.