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Ireland v New Zealand; Croke Park 5.15pm (pre/during/post discussion thread)
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I wasn't in the physical or mental state to post my thoughts on the match yesterday, having seen dawn on Sunday after Saturday night.:(
The pre-match atmosphere was electric, and I have to say the anthems and haka were unbelievable - that experience rivals any sporting event I've ever been to. I genuinely thought that there was a feeling within the ground that we could break the hoodoo, the feeling around was that it was going to be momentous.
Even though the AB were the stronger team in the first half, at 3-3 we were still in the game, even if it was more down to Carter's wayward kicking than our performance. After seeing the incident on the big screen in the ground it didn't take a genius to reckon that it would be a penalty try or sin-binning. I've seen them given, I've seen them not given, and if it's sin-binning it's a penalty try and vice-versa. Having seen the incident on television I think it wasn't that harsh, as Bowe clearly flicked the ball dead with his hand. If I had one criticism, I think Bowe could've made an effort to try and ground the ball and even if he hadn't successfully done it, he still might've prevented the try. If you look at the replay, he was neck-and-neck with McCaw, even if he was coming from an angle, and if he collided with man, ball 'n' all he could well have ensured that McCaw didn't ground it without committing so blatant a professional foul.
In any event, it was only going to be a matter of time before the AB scored a try, it was just a shame that it happened in injury time as the crowd would've been through the roof if it was 3-3 at the break. I felt that the try coupled with the sin-binning really took the wind out of our sails, and it also settled New Zealand just before the break.
The winning margin could've been a lot bigger at the end, and I think it was due to some very good defensive work coupled with AB lethargy at times. Seeing how much they appear to have in reserve is frightening - they certainly never got into fifth gear IMO, and at times weren't even in fourth :eek:
From an Irish perspective I think most of the players will be disappointed with their performances. ROG's play was dismal in parts, in other phases it was decent, but I think we can all agree it was well below par from the heights he's hit over the years. Wallace was the standout in the first half, but disappeared in comparison in the second half. Fitzgerald and BOD were impressive, but one of two of the captain's decisions were certainly questionable, he will rue the chip and chase effort that led to the penalty try. Demspey was solid without being spectacular, as was Kearney.
TOL had a good debut, and will be relatively pleased from a personal point of view. Some of his decisions regarding box kicks were suspect to me, but this could've been down to team tactics rather than himself. I thought it was madness from the start to give the ball to the AB without them earning it, as with the quality in their side, it's only going to be a matter of time before they steamroll you. If they don't have the ball they cannot score, and I was kind of surprised at Kidney's tactics in this regard. I would've liked to see Ireland retain more possession and go through phases etc, but it's easy to say that as an armchair coach!:D
The pack were good in phases, and toothless in others. The Bull was very good, it beggars belief that he turned 35 last week. Best will be disappointed with the early lineouts, but I think also some of the blame lies with the locks. DOC didn't really appear at all, and POC should've been replaced the moment he went down. It was apparent as soon as he was hit (even from the far side of the stadium) that the injury was serious enough to merit a substitution. As it happened, a line-out continued with him receiving treatment, and having left him on the park for a few more minutes, NZ expertly exploited the gap for their try and it was essentially a mis-match in midfield. I saw Nonu switch positions, take the ball from DC, pop to Rokocoko who just ran around POC, back to Nonu and then it's a canter under the posts. :mad: Quinlan looked a bit too wound up, and while Wallace was a standout in the first half, he, like some others, were blown away in the latter stages.
New Zealand are looking extremely strong, and the most impressive aspect was the contact area. When an Irish player took the ball into the tackle, they were pushed back a yard or two before hitting the floor, which meant that immediately we were on the back foot with the ABs hitting the ruck with momentum. When NZ hit the tackle area with ball in hand, they continued to drive forward for 4/5 yards before hitting the deck, meaning that the support players were hitting the breakdown on the front foot, and the Irish lads just couldn't cope with it. A case in point was the Brad Thorn try, where he could've easily passed outside for the try, but instead just steamrolled over the line taking Heaslip and Kearney for the ride.
The one thing I would fault with the ABs is while they are gifted in every facet of the game, their cynicism leaves a bit to be desired. Early in the match Nonu for one tackled on the border of what's legal, and they're quite cunning when "avoiding" the player chasing the kicker. They put their hands in the air, turn 90-degrees, and back into the path of the kicker, so it appears that they are doing their best to avoid the opponent, when in fact they are taking a step backwards in their direction. It's not blatant, but it's certainly cunning and there's no room for it in the game.
I could write a thesis (I almost already have!), but I'd be here all night
I said before the match that in order for Ireland to win, every player would have to have an outstanding evening, the 50/50 calls and bounce of the ball would have to go green, and Wayne Barnes would be the referee! I think while the SA ref had a decent game, an authoritarian ref who applies the laws of the game by the book would keep NZ honest and eliminate the cynicism that unfortunately comes into their game from time to time. The ABs were awesome in almost every facet of the game (ironically Carter's goalkicking was off!), and fully deserved their win - in fact if it was by more I couldn't complain. Looking forward to tomorrow's 'A' fixture in Thomond, and to this weekend's game against Los Pumas.
Here's some of my snaps from the game with my compact.0 -
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