It may be some time before Ireland discover true value of Samoa test
TOUGH TEST: Tumua Manu of Samoa tackled by two Irish players. Pic Credit ©INPHO/Dave Winter
IRELAND 17 SAMOA 13
There are nights like Saturday at Stade Jean Dauger when the true value of the exercise is not realised until much later down the road.
It may take months, maybe years, before that realisation occurs and the penny drops that what was experienced that night was worth the initial disappointment or frustration at a below-par yet still winning performance as was the case in Bayonne as Ireland just about overcame a talented, more than capable and ambitious Samoa side by just four points.
Alternatively, that lightbulb moment could happen just 20 days from now in Nantes where Ireland will face Tonga in the second game of their Rugby World Cup Pool B campaign at Stade de la Beaujoire.
Andy Farrell is certainly planning on the latter, shorter timeframe delivering the spark and his pleasure after Saturday’s hard-fought victory indicates that the Ireland boss’s masterplan is progressing at exactly the right pace, save for injury concerns over Dan Sheehan, Jack Conan, Dave Kilcoyne and now Cian Healy, whose calf injury sustained in the 20th minute required a scan on the team’s arrival back in Dublin yesterday afternoon.
This was not a pretty win. Played in unrelenting rain, it was never going to be a beauty and Samoan head coach Seilala Mapasua, ably assisted by Leinster’s Kiwi attack coach Andrew Goodman and former All Black skipper Tana Umaga, had done their homework on shutting down the foundations of Ireland’s attacking game-plan at set-piece and on the gainline.
Equally, the white-jerseyed Irishmen contributed to their own frustrations, a malfunctioning lineout once again the major fault-line alongside an under-pressure scrum and aggressive lines-peed from an eager Samoa defensive line.
Yet a victory over Pacific Island opposition is not to be sniffed at these days and the same return under tournament conditions from the September 16 clash with Tonga will represent a good day at the office.
On a day when England, whose performance was described as “rancid” by one Fleet Street newspaper, lost to Fiji at Twickenham, Ireland will be satisfied they at least found a way to overcome the early difficulties that found them trailing 10-7 at half-time and 13-7 shortly after the break.
Ireland’s pool rivals and defending champions South Africa may have delivered the statement performance of this final weekend before the World Cup gets underway on September 8.
The Springboks’ 35-7 dismantling of New Zealand at Twickenham on Friday night did not just send shivers down the spine of All Blacks supporters as they struggled to digest a record defeat for their iconic team, it sent a message around the rugby world that the holders of the William Webb Ellis Cup are not ready just yet to hand back the gold trophy.
Farrell and Ireland have received the memo, for sure, and the head coach’s attitude was his usual quick self to embrace the zeitgeist.
"I love it. It's great, isn't it?” Farrell said of the last weekend of summer Test rugby and the Springboks’ victory in particular.
“That's why we love the sport. You go back a good few weeks and New Zealand did exactly the same to South Africa. South Africa, I thought they played an excellent game yesterday as far as trying to cause a bit of chaos etc, and I thought it was a fantastic showing for them.
“But we all know with New Zealand that it will fire them up even more for that first game. With England, this is what can happen. We always see an upset. If you're slightly off against good teams like Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, you're in trouble. Every game counts."
As an exercise in forward planning, Farrell could not have asked for better in his relentless drive to stress test his players. A rainy night in Bayonne against a powerful and skilful Samoan side bolstered, as are all the Pacific Island nations, by the addition of Tier One recruits under new World Rugby rules to allow capped Test players to switch to their countries of origin, this was always going to be a different occasion to their last meeting at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
That night in Fukuoka, Ireland could afford to go a man down following Bundee Aki’s red card for a high hit and still win comfortably, 47-5. On Saturday at Stade Jean Dauger, with a capacity 13,000 crowd of pro-Samoan locals whipped up by the Aviron Bayonnais stadium announcer, this was a much sterner examination for the class of 2023, just as Farrell had hoped for.
He had even delivered the bad news to the unlucky players who had not made his 33-man World Cup squad before kick-off just to see how the entire 39-man group processed the information and could move past it to deliver a performance – one more lesson banked for future reference.
An early converted try from full-back Jimmy O’Brien, delivered via a Jack Crowley crossfield kick to right wing Mack Hansen on nine minutes was not the launchpad it should have been.
Ireland had already lost the first of five first-half lineouts on their own throw by then, though two of them had been stolen by Saracens and Samoa lock Theo McFarland. Stifled by their opponents stuttered and were profligate when they did create try-scoring opportunities and the sight of the 125-cap, 35-year-old Healy grimacing with pain as he was helped from the field told its own story.
Samoa grew in confidence and drew level on 37 minutes thanks to more profligacy, this time a forced pass to the left wing from Stuart McCloskey which found only Duncan Paia’Aua, the opposition full-back racing more than 60 metres upfield to the delight of the Bayonnais.
Former All Black fly-half Lima Sopoaga converted and then added a penalty either side of half time to give Samoa a 13-7 lead on 46 minutes. Ireland needed some inspiration and they turned to the experienced bench to provide it.
Rob Herring’s introduction ahead of first-time Test starting hooker Tom Stewart was the catalyst, instantly providing clean lineout ball and the first meaningful driving maul of the night. Conor Murray continued the move, wrong-footing the previously assured Samoan defensive line by a change in direction to the blind side where he gave the ball to Stockdale.
The wing advanced and delivered a chip over the last defender, Murray fastest to retrieve the ball as it bounced over the tryline, now just 13-12 down with 29 minutes remaining.
On came the heavy hitters James Ryan and Peter O’Mahony and Ireland stepped up another gear, their lineout no longer a curse but a weapon. When a drive, and O’Mahony in particular was hauled down, Ireland pounced again. Ross Byrne, off the bench and in at fly-half as Crowley switched to full-back, found the corner and Herring applied the finish to another roll-on by the forwards.
The job was not finished though. Samoa and their new hordes of supporters still scented an upset but Sopoaga blew a chance, overcooking his kick to the right corner after a cheaply-conceded penalty.
And then in the other corner, another unnecessary penalty allowed one last tilt at history. Touch was found but the five-metre lineout was artfully poached, O’Mahony disrupting at the front, Ryan majestic in the air to steal. Time to get out of Dodge.
J O'Brien (R Byrne, 52); M Hansen, R Henshaw, S McCloskey, J Stockdale (G Ringrose, 65); J Crowley, C Murray (C Casey, 71); C Healy (J Loughman, 20), T Stewart (R Herring, 50), F Bealham (T O'Toole, 62); I Henderson – captain (J Ryan, 60), T Beirne; R Baird (P O'Mahony, 59), J van der Flier, C Doris.
D Paia’Aua; E Fidow (N Foma’i, 50), UJ Seuteni, T Manu, N Ah Wong; L Sopoaga, J Taumateine (E Enari, 67); James Lay (Jordan Lay, 62), S Lam (S Malolo, 50), P Alo-Emile (M Alaalatoa, 52); C Vui – captain (SJ Taufua, 41), T McFarland; T Seu, F Lee, S Luatua (M Fai’ilagi, 62).
Wayne Barnes (England)
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
