Just what doc ordered for Joe Schmidt
Yet for a head coach as accustomed to success as Joe Schmidt has been during a gilded career with the Blues, Clermont Auvergne, Leinster and this national team, Saturday’s nine-try rout of perennial wooden spooners Italy was just what the doctor ordered after a more than challenging period since his side’s World Cup exit.
The mitigating circumstances for the four-Test winless streak that began with the humbling defeat by a flamboyant Argentina side last October have been well documented. In spite of all that, though, the numerous injuries and retirements have not given Schmidt a free pass. The draw with Wales and defeats by France and England that ended Ireland’s interest in making this season’s RBS 6 Nations campaign a bid for three championships in a row have seen a change in perception of the head coach’s approach and decision-making process.
Questions are being asked of his selections and gameplans and ahead of this fourth game of the year, there was a sense external misgivings were beginning to penetrate the bubble that envelops Camp Schmidt. The defeats during his 30-month stewardship are still in the single digits but the sense of “In Joe We Trust” felt by fans has slipped in tandem with Ireland’s world ranking, from second last summer to eighth following the loss to England.
And with a three-Test tour to South Africa in June followed by two November appointments with world champions New Zealand along with the visit of Michael Cheika’s resurgent Australia to Dublin there is instead a sense of trepidation.
Schmidt acknowledged last week when he admitted the Italy game was a must-win but defended himself stridently against accusations of conservatism in his selections and playing style. Saturday’s performance delivered more strength to that end and restored a little colour to the cheeks of a coach back on the right side of the ledger.
“Look, I came to this part of the world on the back of play-offs in Super Rugby and play-offs in France for years and play-offs with Leinster and a couple of championships... it’s been a bit depressing ,” Schmidt admitted.
“At the same time, I don’t think anything has changed in terms of how much I question what we do and reflect on what we do and trying to help players get better at what they do. But it does give you confidence if you get a good result, it gives you confidence if the performance is good as well. Sometimes you sneak a result, you just win ugly and you’re happy with that, but sometimes you walk away and you think: ‘that’s the sort of performance players worked hard to deliver.’ The players deserved that performance, they deserved that result and that’s really satisfying when you’re in a coaching group.
“In the last few weeks, it hasn’t quite fallen that way and that’s been frustrating and disappointing and, probably a little bit confidence sapping, because you want to try and get them over the line and have enough of the small margins to fall your way.”
On Saturday, margins narrow and wide cascaded in Ireland’s direction. On a day that hinted at Spring and with the High Hopes choir, fronting a Tackle Homelessness campaign, leading the Irish anthems, the optimism in the air was tangible and Schmidt’s players could have found no better facilitators than their opponents in seeing their ambitions realised.
Sergio Parisse’s men did start strongly, only yet another last-ditch Conor Murray tackle preventing Gonzalo Garcia from scoring in the corner in the third minute but from there on it was all sunshine and lollipops. The storms of Paris and Twickenham had passed, the bruises healed, a miserable February was forgotten, and the green shoots of recovery finally found daylight.
Ireland’s first visit to the opposition 22 produced five points and Schmidt’s players were off, Andrew Trimble’s seventh minute try capping some fine play by Jared Payne, who pounced on sloppy defending, and Keith Earls with a wonderful clean out at the subsequent ruck before his wing-mate finished equally well in the left corner.
Ireland crossed the line eight more times, Jack McGrath powering over from close range, CJ Stander following for the third and his first Test try as he found a way through three Italian tacklers and then the highlight of the game, if not the championship so far and perhaps Schmidt’s national team reign. It came just before the interval and removed any pretence this was a meeting of equals, sending the home side into a 25-3 half-time lead.
Ireland had dropped out after an Italian kick had been overcooked and from a ruck five metres outside the 22, the men in green were in top gear. From Conor Murray’s pass the ball was exchanged four times when Zebo took off down the right, juggling Johnny Sexton’s pass and gliding past Michele Campagnaro before an immaculate offload with an inverted right hand out to Payne on his 10-metre line. The centre darted over halfway and passed inside to Sexton who reached the Italian 22 and fed Trimble. Onto Fergus McFadden, a temporary blood replacement for Robbie Henshaw, who cut inside and found space on the left to send Jamie Heaslip over the line.
Eighty metres, nine passes and 19 seconds of magic to bring a smile to faces that had previously been creased with anxiety. It was a sweeping move that, for all the previous success in winning back-to-back championships, a World Cup pool and claiming the scalps of Australia and South Africa, had not been seen during Schmidt’s tenure.
Against more resolute teams, including Scotland next week, and in trickier conditions it might be difficult to reproduce but the joyous feeling of watching players express themselves was one to savour, reminding us of how good these guys can be.
“The licence to play is always there,” Schmidt insisted, “you just get a bit more suffocated when you’re up against sides very, very well organised. Wales attack with their defence, they don’t tend to convert massive scores, what they do is suffocate and strangle opposition. It’s harder when you play them or when you play England to get the sort of freedom to play like that. ”
The message from Schmidt was loud and clear: savour the win but let us not get ahead of ourselves.
S Zebo; A Trimble (F McFadden, 21-28), J Payne (F McFadden, 71), R Henshaw (F McFadden, 34-40), K Earls; J Sexton (I Madigan, 50), C Murray (K Marmion, 59); J McGrath (F Bealham, 65), R Best – captain (S Cronin, 50), M Ross (N White, 55); D Ryan, D Toner (U Dillane, 55); CJ Stander (R Ruddock, 62), J van der Flier, J Heaslip.
D Odiete; L Sarto, M Campagnaro, G Garcia (K Haimona, 55), M Bellini; E Padovani (L McLean, 59), G Palazzani (A Lucchese, 62); A Lovotti (M Zanusso, 71), D Giazzon (O Fabiani, 55), D Chistolini (P Ceccarelli, 55); G Biagi (A Steyn, 36), M Fuser (Q Geldenhuys, 27); F Minto, A Zanni, S Parisse - captain.
Angus Gardner (Aus)
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