O’Connell in awe of Irish young guns

THE iconic Paul O’Connell goes into Irish action for a noteworthy 70th time on Saturday at Croke Park, but he tips young guns like Keith Earls to set even higher standards.

As Ireland go in search of a fifth Triple Crown, against Scotland, Lions skipper O’Connell is in awe of the youngsters coming into the national squad, Earls being just one.

O’Connell may have given the scoring pass for Ireland’s second try in the 27-12 victory over Wales but he still shakes his head in wonder at the skill shown by winger/centre Earls in his two-try salvo last week.

O’Connell said the young guns brought a huge amount to their respective provincial squads and to the national team: “They’re young and enthusiastic and have no fear, absolutely no fear; they’re willing to have a go at anyone with no respect for reputation. They’re so well coached now, having come through the academy system, and they are in such good condition. They’re big boys, positive around the pitch and around the camp, and in Keith’s case I’m actually envious of the great career he has ahead of him.

“Last week, everything he did was excellent, he put Wally (David Wallace) down the wing at one stage, flicked a lovely ball up from the ground through his foot to hand and chipped it ahead and nearly scored a third try; everything was done with so much ease, he is a pleasure to watch.

“In the case of the young lads who have come through, Luke Fitzgerald and Rob Kearney too, it’s not just that they’re emerging into the squad but they’re coming through to become the best players on the pitch; that’s a great thing for Irish rugby, for competition in the team and for the confidence of the team going forward.”

But as Ireland go in search of their fourth Six Nations victory of the season that will guarantee them silverware, O’Connell has issued words of warning about Saturday’s opponents: They might be bottom of the table, they might be smarting from defeat by Italy and facing a wooden spoon, but the big second row is in no doubt that a successful sign-off from the Croke Park era is not a done deal.

He remarked: “I don’t care what anyone says but Scotland are an unbelievably tough, very physical, side to play against and I don’t accept their position in the table does them justice for the way they have been playing. They have a very strong back row, lots of quality ball-carriers and played a lot of good rugby against England last week.

“Their defence has been pretty strong; they have conceded only one more try than us this championship and, apart from spells in the French game, we have been delighted the way our defence has been going so perhaps that puts more in perspective what Scotland have achieved.”

The biggest challenge will take place up front, where O’Connell expects an abrasive challenge, perhaps even the biggest of the season, from Scotland in the lineouts.

“It’s an area we haven’t done badly but it’s also an area where, in my experience, we have always faced a big challenge from them.”

O’Connell admitted he would look forward to an improvement in the scrums and a better return from the breakdown, where both teams might have difficulty coming to terms with southern hemisphere style rulings from referee Jonathan Kaplan.

He is certainly hoping for a better return in territory. “We know we need to enjoy more attacking positions; it is a concern from the last couple of matches. We want more of the ball and more of the territory because we might not always be as clinical in terms of finishing. However, if we can get more ball and more ground, put those together with the clinical way we have been finishing and scoring, then maybe we can move on to another level,” he said.

Although O’Connell would love to sign off with a resounding victory over the Scots, the most important thing is actually the win itself.

When Ireland first moved to GAA headquarters they lost to a late sucker-punch from France and the Irish second row doesn’t want to go out the same route.

“Croke Park has been brilliant for us, we’re well aware of the tradition and history and we’re all proud to have played there knowing how difficult it had been to get to play there; we’re thankful to the GAA and conscious of the fact for many reasons we wanted to do well there. The biggest moment in my time there was the emotional day (during and after the national anthems) against England in year one. Hopefully we can go out in similar fashion because we certainly want to get a good send-off and do ourselves justice.”