Lurching, as ever, from one extreme to the next, from the depths of Twickenham to the highs of last Saturday week, suddenly Irish rugby seems set for a case of vertigo.
The dizzy heights of a second consecutive championship win against Italy this Saturday appear almost to be taken as read. This certainly wouldn't have been the case after the opening round and, as history has taught us, generally should be avoided with Irish rugby teams. These Italians, after all, have won three of the last four encounters between the countries and the tormentor in chief, Diego Dominguez, remains. On a line through Scotland, whom the Azzurri put to the sword by 37-20 two Saturdays beforehand, there wouldn't be much between the sides.
And as much as the 44-22 margin last Saturday week at Lansdowne Road possibly flattered Ireland a little, the same can certainly be said of Wales's 47-16 victory margin in Cardiff the same afternoon.
Any persecution complex the Italians had after Jim Fleming's refereeing when the All Blacks were invited to run up a ton at their expense at Huddersfield in the World Cup certainly wouldn't have been assuaged by Iain Ramage's performance in Cardiff.
Indeed, scarcely 26 minutes into the game the more cynically minded Italians might have been entitled to ask whether Mr Ramage spelt his name with one `i' or two. At that point Italy had almost been blown out of the match by a penalty count of 10-4, with Ramage (refereeing Wales for the third time in only his fifth international) penalising the Italians at almost every breakdown.
Poor Allesandro Troncon almost lost his reason when twice being penalised for, of all things, crooked feeds. While it is true that the Italians can be masterful spoilers and not averse to the occasional off-the-ball obstruction or killing opposition ruck ball, they were very hard done by.
In the first Welsh try Scott Quinnell scored on the narrow side after a clever lineout ploy. However, Peter Rogers blatantly grabbed hold of his opposite number Massimo Cuttitta at the front of the line in a clear case of obstruction. Yet when Checchinato `scored' off another front of the line variation in the second-half, it was disallowed for obstruction.
No amount of video re-runs can locate this mysterious case of obstruction. The Welsh commentators attributed it to the `old' ploy of hooker taking out hooker at the front of the line after the throw. Yet Robert Howley, occupying the opposition hooker's slot, if anything grasped hold of Moscardi after the latter's throw as they barely brushed past each other, before Checchinato ploughed through Howley's unencumbered tackle by the corner flag.
On three other occasions in the second-half the Azzurri were over the Welsh line but weren't awarded the try. Suffice to say that they wouldn't have been in the least bit flattered by a swing of 14 points or so their way on the scoreboard.
They deserve respect, not least because they're on the rebound and had always targeted the Irish match as one of their two winnable games, but at the same time they're not in England or France's league, and it is clear that the Irish management viewed these back-to-back home games against Scotland and Italy in such a light even before the championship began.
Thus there were no new caps at Twickenham and five against the Scots. Had the Stade de France been next on the itinerary, then the management might have viewed things differently, but for the time being this may well mean announcing an unchanged side tomorrow, with all options being renewed in advance of Paris.
Strictly on the evidence of the Scottish game, David Humphreys deserves to be restored. Where Ronan O'Gara was hurried, dropped balls, missed penalties to touch, undercooked garryowens, sliced touch-finds off restarts, Humphreys was on top of his game, his line-kicking was much better, and he generally seemed to give himself more time. In doing so he kept Scotland guessing until the ball left his boot or hands. He even seemed to lead the defensive line-up more sharply.
Indeed strictly on recent form, Humphreys would in fact be the pick. Whereas O'Gara's knee injury interrupted his good form with Munster up until mid-January, and pre-empted ring-rusty returns with Cork Con and Ireland, Humphreys has been in a rich vein of form, scoring 93 points in five games for Dungannon and his cameo for Ireland. Included in this prolific burst have been three tries, including his first for Ireland.
However, the management will know that O'Gara is capable of much better than he showed against the Scots on a understandably nervous and erratic, though at times exciting, debut. At least last Saturday he was playing without a protective strapping on his right leg and he kicked 20 points, though it was another mixed display.
I THINK David Humphreys remains the best outhalf in the country but O'Gara is undoubtedly one for the future and the management may well see this as another chance to invest in his talent.
Significantly or not, neither Warren Gatland nor Eddie O'Sullivan viewed either outhalf last Saturday, suggesting they may have had their minds set on O'Gara. While Donal Lenihan was at Temple Hill, Gatland watched the Shannon-Ballymena match and O'Sullivan viewed the St Mary's-Young Munster match rather than Terenure-Dungannon.
The management hardly added Kevin Maggs and Dion O'Cuinneagain to their 22-man squad last week purely as sops to the two players in question. Maggs's recall, until ruled out yesterday, suggested the selectors are concerned by the midfield defence, while O'Cuinneagain's call-up, coupled with the coaches' whereabouts last Saturday, hint that the pack's back five replacement is a source of debate.
Given the game Ireland are now seeking to play, O'Cuinneagain's presence as an impact substitute may make more sense, especially for this game. Might they even wait until the morning of the game and base their selection in part on the weather? Perhaps not yet, but such a flexible selectorial approach, like other sports, will surely come into being one day.
