RUGBY ANALYST:Technically we are way behind Australia. So how are we going to win tomorrow morning's game? The Irish team have simply got to be magnificent around the ball
ON November 16th, 2010 I found myself sharing Thomond Park with 21,314 supporters as Munster entertained Australia. But for the unbridled abuse I would have departed at half-time. Not because both sides were second string but because the weather was atrocious and I was soaked. The Wallabies were soaked too and clearly had no real interest in being there. Munster’s heroic victory should not be diminished by Australia’s attitude and James Coughlan and his men rightly deserved huge credit for the win.
As the game unfolded in Munster’s favour I couldn’t help notice the technical gap between the players. Apart from Keith Earls and Conor Murray, Munster have no other contribution tomorrow. Australia were light too, with the centres remaining and five others in and around the bench.
Hence what I saw that night was cultural. Munster won using their age old cultural ingredients but Australia looked the more impressive in all aspects of the technical game; ball carrying, spatial awareness, support lines, knowing when to pass and when to hold, the tackle technique, bridging over the ball and clearing out; all things breakdown. All this was done in terrible conditions, which we’ll face tomorrow. So how do Ireland beat a superior technical outfit as Munster did? Ireland’s answer is not to be found in the technical.
The player most comfortable in this environment was not the man of the match, Ian Nagle, but young backrower Peter O’Mahony. A point confirmed when I watched the Munster-London Irish warm-up friendly a few weeks back. He was magnificent around the ball. The Irish team have not been magnificent around the ball for some time. O’Mahony has it and so do the Wallabies.
The week leading up to the RWC I asked several rugby mates for the starting secondrow partners for the Tri-Nations teams. Apart from the Springbok pair Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha they were stumped, even though the Australian captain is a secondrow. Watch both James Horwill and Dan Vickerman very closely.
There is a fixation in Irish rugby that we require ball-carriers; this is true but the world doesn’t have 15 David Wallaces for each team so it has to make do with what it has. Here is where the Wallabies far outshine us. Horwill is no ball-carrier but watch him carry the ball!
He will make the gain line every time on his terms, pump his legs, stay afloat as long as possible, look for an offload and if it doesn’t come his team will be in a far better place than before he got the ball. Watch him clear out, equally as technical and effective. Contrast that to our guys.
Ball-carrying is not about Seán O’Brien or Stephen Ferris, they are but the icing on the cake. Ball-carrying is scrapping for every inch available on the pitch at that given time and accepting nothing but go forward even if it’s an inch. The added inches will afford Ireland’s attack extra space and time, especially for Gordon D’Arcy and Brian O’Driscoll to run on to the ball. It’s been a while since they had space. They will be facing the same centre pairing as Earls and Sam Tuitupou faced last November.
The good news is we don’t have to win tomorrow. Better news is we have a serious set-piece, lineout and scrum and a dam good defence. Better news again is we can win tomorrow even though technically we are far behind the average Australian international. But then in Thomond Park there was something special that even the Australians couldn’t compete with.
I recall their iconic captain George Gregan trash-talking the All Blacks, “four more years, boys, four more years”. Gregan’s culture is drawn from the cool ruthless pursuit of excellence Ireland can’t compete with but therein lies our opportunity as Gregan and his Wallaby counterparts are technically brilliant but against the Waterford hurling rabid dog types that will run out in green tomorrow they may struggle.
There are deficiencies that we must accept as they are insurmountable in 24 hours. The counter-attack has not been there and can’t now be produced magically no matter what Alan Gaffney has held up his sleeve – forget it. The concept of our front five (Cian Healy accepted) making major yards is also beyond them – forget it. Hence inches gained in contact and field position through kicking are key and if we’re having a breakdown it must be ferocious. I’m delighted to see the half-back partnership united, which should give comfort to both players. Ronan O’Gara will influence this fixture before the end. Will Murray?
Ignoring the set-piece, what can we do to influence a victory? O’Callaghan is massive but I can’t recall a massive hit on an opposition ball-carrier.
O’Callaghan must provide his team with real tangible leadership far beyond a mad head and hard work; real hits please. Much rides on our backrow but in Jamie Heaslip we need a big one; more leadership, down and dirty please. Are you world class or are you not?
Leadership is not worn on an arm band. Build it and they will follow. The front five must treat every contact like Davy Fitzgerald would if given the chance. Every touch of the ball should be accompanied with wild leg-pumping and at no stage should a front five player carry on his own; hunt in pairs in possession and as 15 in defence; fill the field.
David Pocock will do damage tomorrow; do not forget it. However, he can be stopped. He is not a big man, although very muscular, he is not a good ball-carrier, in fact their worst, but carriers very often and can be held up, double-teamed, as Denis Leamy is want to do. His muscles, body height (5ft 11in) and technique afford him a great chance when prowling but it is the first two Wallabies into the breakdown that give him the opportunities.
Whether its Horwill from above or Adam Ashley-Cooper from below, they both smash early arrivals away, affording Pocock the luxury of time and space to pick his entry point. It is his timing that does the damage. The Irish clearout must follow through the ball and beyond, “pinballing” him away from a steal. Where an early clearout fails then the trick is to use his body against him by trapping him over the ball, literally lie on him, and even pull him directly on to the ball. Referees get one shot of a rule break and seeing him isolated lying on the ball will give us penalties.
What of Australia? Although full of running, especially off broken field opportunities, they are predictable in the set-ups where they’ll hit the gain line very quickly. In doing so they are creating the environment for scrumhalf Will Genia to expose the channel defence (fatties) and outhalf Quade Cooper to get his outrageous offloads going (blindside wingers popping up).
A very disciplined and aggressive defence both sides of the rucks will stunt Genia but a slow ruck will afford defenders more time to channel up.
Time is crucial to Genia as he’s happy to slobber along using Horwill and co ad nauseam until the slightest gap opens and he’s gone. Patience is crucial or it’ll be too late.
In defence, they rush, adding a savage, but technical clearout. Anthony Faingaa’s (at 13) timing in the line defence is superb. O’Driscoll will get smashed if that ball arrives a fraction late. I’ll blame the front five.
Cooper swaps in defence and must be targeted out wide as he can’t be comfortable either way. They also kick buckets of the ball away. In summary Australia look like a beautifully balanced running team but their tactics are based on keeping the ball out of their 22 with multiple kicks, ferocious clearouts, followed by more kicks, happy to field the return and off they go. When they sniff a chance they go.
Jerry Flannery, I remind you of Ben Hogan words “as you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round”. Come on Ireland, let’s not wait four more years, smell the roses and start tomorrow by introducing Cooper to the crazy Shamrock!
liamtoland@yahoo.com
