Jackman: When France analyse the Irish they will hate what they see
When Ireland lost to England the tactics used were blamed. On Saturday, when they beat the Italians by 39 points, we were a “well-oiled machine”. The difference in the performances and approach was minimal.
Against England we tried to implement a game plan which meant we kicked less and built phases. That continued against a brave and willing Azzurri side. The difference is the Italians were under equipped to beat a team like Ireland.
Italy haven’t won away in the Six Nations since 2007 when they beat Scotland and their coaches took the decision to rest some players, most noticeably Sergio Parisse, with an eye on their final match home to England.
Knowing Ireland went in with a clear plan to play a high-tempo game, backing their fitness levels and bench to really rack up the scores in the last 20 minutes as the Italians tired. We managed to recycle phase after phase in both halves and, to be fair, the men in blue soaked up most of our carries comfortably. But we had a genius in the centre who threw the final phase pass for three of our tries and showed in terms of vision and skill he is operating on a different level than most of the “target men” playing centre in international rugby.
But with the amount of pressure we were building the result was a forgone conclusion. Some of the key stats show we dominated possession by 75% to 25%; they made 208 tackles to our 75 and the most interesting one was we only conceded two penalties over 80 minutes which is the lowest I have ever heard of in a top-class match.
That final stat is reflective of the work Ireland do in the video room and on the training pitch to make sure they understand and deliver exactly what each referee expects. That has meant that over the seven matches we played under Schmidt we have only conceded on average six penalties per game and that it’s a huge positive as we go to the Stade de France. That game will be refereed by New Zealander Steve Walsh who has a chequered history with Ireland but I am confident we can change that relationship into a positive one Saturday.
I am also very confident we will beat France and I think the points difference is too far in our favour for England to turn around. A lot of people are worried about our history of losses in Paris, but the current Irish team know what happened in the past will only have an impact on what happens this weekend if we let it. We have shown the consistency Ireland have lacked and the performances against New Zealand, Scotland, Wales, England and Italy have all been built on high levels of work rate, technical and tactical excellence. The set piece is capable of producing quality ball regardless of the opposition and our defence, having conceded only two tries in four games, is obviously well organised and controlled.
Our attack off strike plays is very good but we probably lack an additional ball carrier like Sean O’Brien or Stephen Ferris in the pack and a Tommy Bowe in the back line to help us break the gain line easier. However, Peter O’Mahoney has been one of the best back rows in the competition and give us a little bit more power with his aggressive carries. When France do their analysis of Ireland they will hate what they see.
Saint Andre is under huge pressure this week in France. Despite the fact France are still in the hunt for a championship, the French media and public are sick of the lacklustre way the team have been playing. Saint Andre has a win ratio of only 44% since he took over after the 2011 World Cup final and there has been rumours of anarchy and discontent in his squad this week with players complaining of disorganised training sessions and confusing review and preview meetings.
With Theirry Dusatoir out injured it’s hard to see a player in the squad with the leadership quality to get the ship back on course and Saint Andre and his management team look like if they survive until the World Cup it will only be because FFR lack the balls rather than because they believe they are the best coaches.
France are always capable of performing well with chaos around them and their players are used to that emotional tension in some of their clubs. But, with a struggling lineout and scrum and no direction at half back, it’s hard to see them evolving systems and structure to hurt Ireland. Once they get past five phases they look completely lost and resort to kicking the ball down field and trying to play territory. Their kick chase is the poorest in the competition and there will be opportunities for our back three. How Saint Andre didn’t bring Morgan Parra or François Trinh-Du back into his squad for this week is beyond me and for a coach who preaches structure and organisation, the Frances set up and efficiency in exiting their red zone this year has been embarrassing.
Where they are dangerous is when play becomes fractured and with turnover ball their back three of Medard, Huget and Dulin are as an elusive a back three in world rugby.
We will play another high-tempo game and be very cautious withour kicking. When we do use the boot you can be sure it will becontestable.
We have a happy squad who are gaining self-belief each week from the quality of their preparation and performances in games. O’Driscoll had the home send off that he could only have dreamed about. On Saturday he will finish his international career with a trophy.
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