James Ryan: Ireland are not at the level that we want to be yet
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: Ireland's James Ryan during a team huddle. Pic: ©INPHO/Photosport/Brett Phibbs.
World Rugby’s latest rankings will tell you that Ireland are sitting third on the ladder, 0.65 points ahead of a French team that looked at least one step above them on the basis of the last three weeks of Nations Championship rugby.
Both sides faced the same three opponents and Exhibits A, B and C provide all the evidence required to poke holes in official numbers and equations that go against the fact that Les Bleus are up there with the Springboks and the All Blacks on a plane of their own.
Ireland scraped a lucky win against the Wallabies, a France minus so many key players beat them with 16 points to spare. Ireland huffed and puffed against Japan in neutral Newcastle, the French put them to the sword in Tokyo.
But it’s their respective experiences against New Zealand that provide the most damning proof with France going toe to toe and try for try with Dave Rennie’s rejuvenated side while Ireland finished 19 points in arrears a fortnight later.
That’s six losses on the bounce now for Andy Farrell’s side against the sides we can safely label for now as The Big Three. Ireland’s last win against any of them was that spanking they gave France in Marseille over two years ago.
It feels like a lifetime ago.
Read More
The average losing margin over those last half-dozen defeats has been 14 points and maybe the most worrying nature of all this is that no-one seems to have come any closer to putting a finger on where it is going wrong.
“I'd say we're not at our best,” said James Ryan of where the team is at right now after Saturday’s 19-point loss to New Zealand in Auckland’s Eden Park.
“I'd say we've had some unbelievable good days, great performances. Probably the England game sticks out in Twickenham, but for us coming back in September, and with the next 15 months in mind, it's about stepping up a bit, you know what I mean?
“We're not at the level that we want to be yet, particularly going into a World Cup season, so we've all got to get better. We've got to go back into pre-season hungry to get better.”
Farrell spoke honestly after the last game of the season. There was an acceptance that Ireland should have given a better account of themselves and that they have to deal with pressure better when it comes to next year's World Cup.
They suffered 18 turnovers against New Zealand, 40 tackles were missed. The setpiece, after so much hand wringing, worked fine this time, but this job is taking on the telltale signs of a whack-a-mole stand at a visiting funfair.
Ryan’s reflections on the minutiae at the weekend sounded very familiar.
“I thought in the first half, we were a little bit off. I don't think we're that off. It was just little errors like dropped balls, some penalties, and that just gave them access into the game, and it felt like they didn't have to do a whole lot to score their tries.
“But they were just unbelievably clinical. I thought we responded very well in the second half and showed some great fight, particularly some of those defensive sets in the last quarter, which was good, but we're disappointed.”
The risk after Saturday is that too much attention is paid to the downright bad and sometimes bizarre refereeing that neutered any fair contest at the breakdown and saw the All Blacks spared what should have been a clear red card and a second yellow.
The same caution should be applied to any 'what ifs' to do with the ridiculous gift try handed to Will Jordan five minutes before the break. And the same raw honesty should apply to discussions framed by some of the players the tourists were missing.
Farrell promised an in-depth review of all the good and bad over recent months when the Ireland coaching team regroups after their summer recess and hard questions will need to be asked in a wide variety of departments.
Ireland’s defence has just conceded eleven tries to the Aussies and Kiwis, the scrum and lineout have been issues off and on for some time, the attack has been a laboured operation lightened by too few moments of crisp delivery.
It’s not that there isn’t a base to push on. There is.
If we take it that England, Argentina, Scotland and, on a very good day, Australia inhabit that second tier with Ireland, behind The Big Three, then the fact is that Ireland have won all nine of those games since losing by a point in Twickenham in the 2024 Six Nations.
Twelve months is plenty of time to peak for a World Cup – for a change – but an Irish side that featured ten starters against New Zealand who will be in their thirties come their trip to Australia next year is giving the impression of a group in need of a touch up.
It won’t be anything radical, on the pitch or off it, at this late stage in the cycle but Farrell has handed out 24 debuts since the last World Cup and Ireland need as many as possible to exert as much pressure as they can upwards.
“There was a lot of new faces in the squad,” said Ryan of this summer tour. “A lot of guys that came over here got their first cap, guys like Bryn Ward. So I think we're building good depth heading into World Cup year.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
