Killer Wales shouldn’t obscure a forward step

IT is unlikely many Irish fans are looking to the future with the World Cup heartache so fresh in their minds.

The manner of the defeat by the Welsh has left everyone deflated and the postmortems will continue for a long time.

However it is crucial to consider what lies in store for Declan Kidney and his team as they regroup for the 2011 RBS Six Nations. The biggest issue for Kidney as he reviews the season must be to examine why his team, even on their best days, lacked a serious cutting edge. The display against the USA is a case in point while they failed to touch down against Australia, the only complaint in what was an otherwise outstanding performance. Yes, the Italian game yielded three touchdowns but the Azzurri were a spent force well before the finish while the lack of creation and inventiveness cost us dearly against the Welsh.

Shane Williams may be a tiny figure in today’s game but he is big of heart and the manner in which he helped prevent Sean O’Brien touching down was a crucial moment in Saturday’s game. Once again, of course, Keith Earls took the chance that came his way to the manner born.

But you still don’t win major rugby internationals without line breakers. Consider Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies for Wales, French pair Maxime Mermoz and Aurelien Rougerie or M’aa Nonu for New Zealand and Manu Tuilagi for England. Ireland lacked players capable of punching holes in the opposition defence. It is going to be a priority for a new backs coach to discover men who can do so.

Alan Gaffney’s successor faces a difficult task to find alternatives to Gordon D’Arcy and even Brian O’Driscoll in this regard. Of those in New Zealand but who rarely had a chance to make an impression, Leinster’s Fergus McFadden is the most obvious candidate. Of those left behind, Luke Fitzgerald stands out. Up in Ulster, they think highly of Nevin Spence and Darren Cave. And yet, switching Tommy Bowe from the wing to 12 may be the best option.

And just as D’Arcy and O’Driscoll are surely nearing the end of illustrious careers, much the same can be said of Ronan O’Gara; so the likelihood is that Jonny Sexton will be entrusted with the number 10 jersey.

Hopefully, the desperately unfortunate and badly missed David Wallace will have recovered in good time from his knee injury to challenge for his place on the open side flank. That would leave the impressive trio of O’Brien, Ferris and Jamie Heaslip to battle it out for the other back-row positions.

After that, there seems little reason to tamper with the World Cup status quo, even if the absence of back-up for props Mike Ross and Cian Healy remains a very serious concern. The squad did us proud in New Zealand, a fact that the disappointment of Saturday shouldn’t obscure.

We can still be a force in the next Six Nations. Wales and France look good for now but if the forthcoming Heineken Cup could somehow dig up a young centre with a definite cutting edge and a home-bred prop of the calibre of Mike Ross, we would have good reason to look forward to the new year with well founded confidence.

Potential Ireland team v Wales, February 5th, 2011: R Kearney; A Trimble, B O’Driscoll capt, T Bowe, K Earls; J Sexton, C Murray; C Healy, R Best, M Ross, D O’Callaghan P. O’Connell, S Ferris, D Wallace, J Heaslip or S O’Brien.