'It didn't feel like we lost by 20 points'

IRELAND FLANKER Stephen Ferris would have put New Zealand captain Richie McCaw off the pitch for killing ball as the All Blacks often cynically slowed down the game in the final 20 minutes on Saturday.

The Ulsterman, one of Ireland’s standout players, felt frustrated and said: “If I had been a referee I would have handed out a couple of them (yellow cards). It’s really hard because when you are in the middle of the pitch you seem to get fast ball and as soon as you’re in their 22 it just keeps getting killed,” said Ferris.

“It’s the same old faces that are doing it but they get away with it. They’re good at it. We just couldn’t get that quick final pass in their 22.

“If we had got our support a bit earlier . . . it’s not just New Zealand killing our ball. They are good at poaching the ball legally as well. I thought Richie McCaw did a great job in slowing it down but it’s difficult. Stringer was screaming at the referee a couple of times to try and get the ball away a bit earlier . . . it is frustrating. We’ll work on rucking this week and hopefully it won’t happen next week.”

The blindside flanker also pointed to Ireland’s dropouts as a cause of concern and another area to work on before Ireland meet Argentina next Sunday. Ferris also felt the final scoreline flattered the All Blacks.

“It was difficult. We were expecting a flat kick. A couple of big secondrows running on to the ball. They definitely caught us off guard . . . and maybe also a lack of concentration once or twice there,” said Ferris.

“Micko (O’Driscoll) took a great one and in our own restarts we were putting a lot of pressure on McCaw for a couple of them. It’s probably something we’ll work on this week. If Argentina see that they might try to exploit it next week. There’s always things to work on, that being one of them.

“Speaking for everyone in the dressingroom it didn’t feel like we lost by 20 points. It felt like we lost by a few points. I know the result says what it was. But the boys felt it was a lot closer. Hopefully we can take a lot out of it,” he added.

Keith Earls, with just four matches under his belt this season, played for the final 35 minutes. But the winger felt Ireland need to polish their ball-handling skills if they are ever to compete at the New Zealand level.

“I think we beat ourselves. I think our skill level lets us down sometimes,” said Earls. “We gave them a lot of turnover ball. They have skills they learn from a young age. They do a lot of ball in hand and they don’t make many mistakes.

“We were confident at half-time. That try we gave away just before half-time we weren’t thinking about too much. We knew we could score against them. We had them rattled a couple of times. Unfortunately we gave way another silly score just after half-time that put them ahead two or three scores. They’re a quality side and when you are down two or three scores it’s tough.”

Earls came within inches of scoring a second-half try until several reviews of the video from various angles by the TMO ajudged he was in touch before grounding the ball. Given the injuries to Rob Kearney and Luke Fitzgerald, there is a strong chance Earls will be included from the start on Sunday against Argentina. “I just couldn’t get the ball out of my body,” he said. “I think my elbow hit the line before the ball. Unfortunate, but that’s rugby for you. It was a fast pace as it always is against New Zealand.”

It was notable, too, that the Irish players didn’t believe the All Blacks were simply on a higher plain and too good to be beaten but that costly mistakes undermined Ireland.

“We seemed to play catch up a good bit in the second half. To be honest, we did put them under the pump for a good bit of the second half but that period after half time . . . 10 minutes, two tries. That’s what New Zealand do to you,” explained Ferris.