[UK - Sunday Life] Reality hits the Irish..

zod

http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/sport/story.jsp?story=622041

Reality hits Irish


Peter Bills' Expert Analysis, Millennium Stadium

20 March 2005
AGAINST the backdrop of exploding champagne corks and singing like they haven't heard in the Welsh valleys for almost 30 years, another sound, a scratching sort of noise, could be heard at Cardiff last night. It was Irish chickens coming home to roost.

For the last few years, this Irish side has been threatening to re-write its rugby history with a first Grand Slam for more than half a century. Hope has filled the hearts of Irish men and women, it has bubbled like a brook in the countryside. But truth to tell, that optimism has been utterly misplaced. Ireland haven't had the side and they haven't chosen the right people to make it happen for longer than they will care to remember.

Worse still from the point of view of this season, they haven't had the fight and the devil to force the issue. Until the 56th minute of this match in Cardiff, when Ireland's lock Paul O'Connell was to be seen laying into his Welsh opponent Robert Sidoli, no Irishman had even bothered to rage at the dying of the light.

The self-inflicted wounds and blunders which ushered Wales to their first Grand Slam since 1978 ought to have been cause for fury among Ireland's rugby men. They turned over ball, gifted a nervy Welsh team its first try and then proceeded to hand out penalties to Stephen Jones like a mother giving sweets to her child. You just rubbed your eyes in disbelief.

The lack of discipline throughout the Irish team was dreadful. They went offside, pulled people down or shoved them off the ball in the line-outs and lost possession in contact. There was no authority, no poise or control in Ireland's game. Ronan O'Gara had such a nightmare time of it he was substituted long, long before the end.

There has been a belief all season that Ireland's locks Paul O'Connell and Malcolm O'Kelly would be the Lions locks in New Zealand this June. Sadly, neither has lived up to his billing, apart from in flashes. There has been a one-paced element to the Irish team this season and it certainly hasn't been top gear.

Ireland have been living under the delusion for too long that Ronan O'Gara and Peter Stringer would somehow become an international half-back pairing of world class. Heavens knows, they've had long enough together in the Irish side to achieve that status.

But it has been apparent for too long that neither man is the real McCoy. We can forgive the selectors for the retention of Stringer for in all honesty, no serious alternative has existed for some years. But manifestly, that has not been the case with O'Gara.

His was a poor, frustrating performance yesterday. He had ages to clear downfield in the 17th minute yet allowed a prop forward of all people to make yards on him and charge his kick down. Gethin Jenkins kicked on to score the try that settled Welsh nerves. O'Gara then planted a kick ahead straight into the stomach of a defender and was lucky Wales did not sweep downfield from the opportunity.

The fly half was offside early in the second half to give Stephen Jones another simple penalty, and he then missed a 47 metre effort which his side desperately needed to fuel their fading self-belief. Immediately, Eddie O'Sullivan pulled him off.

David Humphreys came on and reminded us once more of his superior ability at launching a back line. It has been a shocking waste of his talents that he has been reduced to a bit-part performer over recent years. Here has been a player genuinely able to break a defence, to offer creativity, cunning and poise. Ireland have squandered his talents by their preference for O'Gara's kicking game.

What Ireland did manage to achieve on a few, rare occasions was remind us that this Welsh side still has far to go. All credit to Wales, their bright, attacking intent has won them this Grand Slam. But if they believe they are the real deal, they are sadly deluding themselves. Their scrum creaked alarmingly at times, although so much of the game was too scrappy and error strewn for proper analysis. Clearly, they will seek to build on this achievement, perhaps the greatest aspect of which has been to get that monkey off their backs of going so long without a Grand Slam.

But what of the elephant squashing Irish shoulders in that respect? Little chance of removing him, it would seem, for some years yet. A re-building task now awaits and do Ireland have the youngsters of sufficient quality to come through? We don't know the answer to that because ultra conservative selection has thus far denied them opportunities. We will now surely find out because while yesterday in Cardiff was perhaps the start of a promising new era for Wales, it was most assuredly the end of an ultimately disappointing one for Ireland.

[Jackass]

Hear Hear. Not harsh enough in my opinion.
It's time for Horan, Sheehan, Bowe, Campbell (possibly Issac Boss), Duffy, Buckley, O'Callaghan & Co. to step up now, O'Sullivan (in his current role anyway), the entire front row, locks temporaraly at least, Stringer, O'Gara, Dempsey, Maggs & Co. to kick the bucket with any involvement in future Irish squads.

We were living in a false sence of security (and nobody was more dilussional and over the top than me!), and every weakness (and there's A LOT of them) has been exposed this season, a fresh outlook, faces and strategy is needed now, if we are to have any chance of progessing from the group stages of the next world cup.
Imagince what France would have done to us with 2 more years expierience, on home soil, on the big stage?? Imagine what Argentina would have done to us on that form (and almost did when we were at our "peak").

I'm have to admit i was the most un-realistic, over-hyped supporter when we were "playing well", and now im the first to kick them while they're down, but the reason i do that is because of how disgracefull this team is...and i'd prefer to have 15 players to fight for every point, and play with that Irish spirit we all know and loose (yet do the Jersey proud), than to have a bunch of "celebretys" prancing around Landsdowne road and the millenium stadium, not willing to fight and put their necks on the line for the Irish.
Everything from the most basic (proper mentality) to the most complex (strategy and tactics) was all wrong this campaign.

MG

I agree that the time has come to pension off/phase out a lot of the current first choice players.

However, in fairness to EOS we only know with hindsight that this side peaked 6 months ago. Was he really going to replace half of the team with us as grand slam favourites?

Just as important is getting younger players into the provincial sides. As a Munsterman, it dismays me to see the likes of Henderson, Mullins etc (great players and servants but past it) denying places to younger prospects. There is a panel (players advisory board - something like that) that vets foreign players coming into this country but I don't think they have a great strategy - Holwell AND Contepomi? Larkin keeping Wallace out? etc etc I'd like to see an embargo on foreign players at 1,2,3, 9 and 10. I know it would be difficult in the short term but surely better in the long term.

On the O'Gara v Humphries thing, I don't buy it. It has always been the way that the better out half is on the bench!

pickarooney

Pretty accurate assessment. Hard to understand why the scrum was so weak.