Facile win offers forward momentum for coming test

Donal Spring Rugby AnalystFrom a spectator's point of view it was a disappointing contest. Ireland were far too good for a very bad Welsh side. Despite some strange options in the first half we still had far too much power up front for our opponents.

We looked likely to score every time we got a lineout close to the Welsh line and even if we didn't actually score directly from the lineout itself, it exerted such pressure on the Welsh defence that space was made available elsewhere, particularly for Brian O'Driscoll's first try. Those first-half options we went for might have been overlooked in the old days but will be closely examined by Eddie O'Sullivan and his players in the coming days.

The only pressure we came under in the opening half was caused by ourselves. At half-time we were so far ahead that Wales needed a miracle. As it transpired, playing with the wind was no assistance to them whatsoever. They were intent on running the ball even at that stage and didn't appear to have anyone to kick them into attacking positions.

Their options were severely limited and at times they appeared to be moving the ball for the sake of moving it. Not until very late in the game did they begin to threatened the Irish defence.

Ireland, in contrast, carried the ball well into the wind and O'Driscoll and D'Arcy made space regularly. Although Shane Byrne was named "man of the match", I would have gone for one of the three back-row players, who were outstanding individually and as a unit. Keith Gleeson had his best game for Ireland and won a lot of loose ball, Simon Easterby did a huge amount of tight work, and Anthony Foley tidied up and supported extremely well.

The Irish scrum was comfortable throughout on Peter Stringer's put-in and had the Welsh in big trouble by the end on their put in.

In fact it is hard to find anything encouraging about the Welsh performance. They really are in big trouble and without the physical presence of their captain Colin Charvis their forwards looked lost.

Their lineout is a shambles. Apart from their full back Gareth Thomas, none of their backs impressed. They looked very vulnerable when we ran at them, particularly in the middle of the field.

The championship is looking ominously predictable. It is highly unlikely that Scotland or Italy will beat Ireland, particularly in Lansdowne Road. What Ireland must do now is focus on the match against England in Twickenham in two weeks' time. That, for me, will be the yardstick for measuring our performance in this championship.

This match will give the team a lot of encouragement even if the opposition were poor. England will be a different proposition. They looked strong against Scotland but with all the changes made by Clive Woodward they may not be as safe under pressure as heretofore.

We find ourselves isolated between, on the one hand, France and England and, on the other, Wales, Scotland and Italy. Our objective is clearly to narrow the gap between ourselves and the two stronger teams. We shouldn't forget that the French team were widely criticised in their own country after they beat us a week ago in Stade de France and even the players themselves felt they had played badly, blaming a lack of preparation.

Ireland have become very accomplished at despatching weaker teams, a characteristic we lacked in the past. We need, however, to insure that even if we don't beat the top two teams regularly we must be competitive against them, with a chance of winning right to the final whistle.

Our result yesterday, compared to England's winning margin over Scotland, points to a very tight game. Unfortunately, in the big games recently against England and France we have disappointed, particularly when expectations were high.

We have nothing to lose in two weeks' time when we go to London. It will be as good a chance as we've had for a long time to take England, but we will only do so by reproducing the best of yesterday's play, cutting out the unforced errors and making fewer bad tactical decisions.

Finally, for somebody who has been out injured so long, Brian O'Driscoll performed remarkably well. At times he looked tired but whenever the opportunity presented itself he availed if it. Once he gets within five yards of a line he seems unstoppable. Gordon D'Arcy and himself could be a great midfield pairing for the foreseeable future.

(In an interview with Johnny Watterson)