Ireland must resurrect the ‘bit of madness’

THERE are so many talking points since the commencement of the World Cup that it is difficult to know where to begin.

The opening night went so well for the tournament organisers at Eden Park that they were entitled to feel delighted with their efforts. That was until news filtered through about the chaos with the transport service and the gross overcrowding down at Auckland’s famous waterfront.

The opening ceremony was breathtaking. As a symbol of just how far the tournament has come in 24 years, it could not have been more graphic. Back in 1987 the pre tournament festivities featured children from 16 schools marching around the field holding little banners with the names of the participating teams. It resembled a scene from the old Community Games in Mosney. This time round the spectacle would have done justice to the Olympic Games.

Unfortunately, the good news stopped there on that opening Friday night when tales of the panic and turmoil began to emerge from the train network. Passengers were forced to smash windows to get out of suffocating carriages that had been stranded in a tunnel for hours. The scenes down town after I returned from Eden Park to my hotel just before midnight did not make for pretty viewing either. The main street was packed with revellers who had been on the waterfront area celebrating for over 12 hours. It was like a war zone. One hopes lessons have been learned by authorities before the Irish and Australian fans descend on the same area next weekend.

The adverse publicity generated by such difficulties however have failed to deflect from a magnificent sequence of opening pool contests. The most striking aspect has been the performances of the second tier nations, with no team suffering a humiliating defeat. The great pity of the opening fixtures was that while so many of the underdogs went close to registering a shock win, none succeeded in getting over the line.

Closest on that front were Romania, who pushed Scotland all the way before imploding in the last four minutes. Likewise, Japan’s performance against France was a fantastic spectacle with the running, offloading and speed of pass from the minnows a joy to behold.

England’s brawl with Argentina was equally compelling. Unfairly in my opinion, the English have been hammered here by the New Zealand press and public for the direct physical style of their play. Such criticisms are ignorant. Rugby can be played in many different ways and that is part of the attraction of the game. If you have a big bruising pack of forwards what is so wrong with utilising them? Not everyone has to play in the style of New Zealand and Australia. I think there is an element of fear within the New Zealand public who are concerned that the type of brute force and directness the likes of England and France are capable of producing could rattle the All Blacks.

Yet, there was so much to admire in New Zealand’s win over Tonga. Watching Sonny Bill Williams in full flow is one of the great sights in the game. His offloading ability and awareness of space and those running support lines is phenomenal. Yet the talk here is that Graham Henry will persist with Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith as his first choice midfield combination. Imagine having the luxury of holding back Williams as a second-half impact replacement!

While the All Blacks attracted quite a lot of flak for the manner with which their second-half challenge fell away against Tonga, the attitude amongst some of the ex All Blacks I have spoken to here is that Dan Carter is only operating in second gear. Obviously he is timing his run for the knockout stages and is playing well within himself. How else could one explain a straightforward conversion attempt that came back off the post in the second half?

The New Zealand malaise started from that point but I’m certain they will improve as the tournament progresses.

The northern hemisphere side to generate the most positive spin down here has been Wales. I thought they were brilliant against holders South Africa and should have sneaked the win at the death.

Their performance had everything that Ireland’s was lacking against the USA. They were dynamic, massively committed at the breakdown, inventive behind the scrum and played with great pace and clarity.

Their brilliant young back row of Dan Lydiate, Toby Faletau and Sam Warburton completely blitzed the highly acclaimed Springbok trio of Heinrich Brussow, Schalk Burger and Pierre Spies. Warburton’s effort in outplaying the highly accomplished Brussow says everything about why Warren Gatland appointed him captain at just 22.

Ireland need to take a leaf out of the Welsh book and look to take on Australia in the exact same manner on Saturday. Wales were neither overawed nor intimidated by the South Africans and got stuck into them from the first whistle.

Even the disappointment of conceding a converted try after just four minutes refused to shake their belief. Similarly, Ireland need to rid themselves of the shackles and resurrect the ‘bit of madness’ that has gone from their game in recent times. The Wallabies will need to be physically challenged in every aspect of the game before we can even contemplate competing on an equal footing.

That has to be the starting point to get Ireland’s World Cup challenge up and running.