Ireland move to Murrayfield with solid foundations and discernible belief in themselves and each other
IT WAS pretty clear the pictures being relayed from Croke Park on Saturday were under the control of someone in the Beeb. All those shots of an angst-ridden and a-cussin’ Martin Johnson verged on an invasion of privacy, and added to the picture of someone who is not comfortable either in the media glare or with the relative lack of influence over proceedings compared to what he enjoyed in his playing days – even when relaying messages back to Clive Woodward in the stands. By contrast, Clive did not seem as uncomfortable in the glare of the cameras.
All of which, of course, will have suited Declan Kidney just dandy, and he would probably be content if the man from the Beeb were in charge every time. That said, he has reason to enjoy what’s unfolding a good deal more rosily than does Johnson.
The Ireland and England coaches are, in theory, at the same point in their jobs. Each missed out on the first year of a World Cup cycle and then, having been inserted at the end of last season, missed their countries’ summer tours, for contrasting reasons. Yet Kidney’s Ireland appear farther down the road than Johnson’s England.
Last summer Johnson wanted to attend the birth of his child, and Kidney wanted to retain his focus on Munster’s Heineken Cup finale before joining forces with Paul McNaughton on a reconnaissance mission to the Southern Hemisphere, both to take in Ireland’s tour and assemble a new coaching ticket.
When, during England’s summer thrashing in New Zealand, commentator Grant Nesbitt observed that Johnson would not be enjoying what he was watching, Murray Mexted memorably commented: “Well, he can always turn off the television.”
Plenty of eyebrows were raised and caustic comments made about Kidney’s slow-burning approach to the Ireland job, particularly as it coincided with Robbie Deans switching from the Canterbury Crusaders to the Wallabies with scarcely 24 hours’ respite.
But Kidney recognised that a new coaching ticket had to be assembled carefully, perhaps in part to ensure he could harness the best qualified men to give the players some fresh voices. Learning from the example of 2002, when he was brought on to the Eddie O’Sullivan ticket, not alone did Munster win the Heineken Cup with little in the way of distractions but Kidney has clearly assembled his coaching staff cleverly.
By contrast, where Andy Robinson (twice) and Brian Ashton were handed back-up staff not entirely of their making, so too, to an extent, was Johnson. Credit to the IRFU for giving Kidney a fresh broom.
Ireland move on to Murrayfield with solid foundations and discernible belief in themselves and each other which has evolved largely out of that process. Kidney and his recently assembled brains trust continue to make an indelible imprint, and it’s a testimony to the work done on the training ground with Gert Smal, as well as their Munster-honed unity, that at times this Ireland pack were so tightly knit you could have thrown a blanket over them.
They ran hard on to the ball with good depth in twos and threes, and were hardly ever isolated. John Hayes, somehow playing as well as ever at 35, didn’t concede an inch to the beast that is Andrew Sheridan. And not alone was the scrum again as solid as a rock, but the supremely well-oiled machine that is the Ireland lineout also withstood its severest examination to date.
They’ve also re-invented their maul as best as the ELVs and referees permit.
Discussing Smal’s impact last week, Hayes admitted that not only does the South African’s recent credentials as a World Cup-winning forward coach demand immediate respect, so does his personality.
“Obviously he’s massive, physically, himself, but just the way he talks there’s no messing with him. It’s straight down to it. He knows what he wants and he gets his point across.”
Les Kiss gives little away in his public utterances, but it’s also clear Ireland have abandoned the percentage, “soakage” defensive system for a more aggressive style designed to make things happen: witness those two intercept tries in Rome. If the World Cup winners and Grand Slam winners can do it, why not Ireland?
Critical to this is the licence and trust afforded each player to break the defensive line with an offensive, ball-and-all hit.
If there was a pivotal moment in the match, it was Brian O’Driscoll’s try, and this could be traced to Jamie Heaslip racing up to envelop Phil Vickery on 51 minutes. With a little help from the team’s two unsung foot soldiers – Donncha O’Callaghan and Hayes, it was from the ensuing turnover that Stephen Ferris’ offload and Luke Fitzgerald’s handling skills helped to release O’Driscoll when he was blocked by Delon Armitage. Cue the penalties to the corner, scrum and pack power which led to the try.
There remain issues, for there was a lack of width, offloading and attacking intent against England, but this looked very much like part of a relatively conservative game plan. Ironically, given that the game plan made little use of Paddy Wallace’s distribution or tactical kicking, whereas the yards up a congested middle were so hard to obtain, the argument for reinstating Gordon D’Arcy looks stronger in hindsight.
In a further irony, it was the area of Wallace’s game that drew the most doubts – his defending – where he excelled. The Ulster centre set the tone by the manner he tracked down and cut down Rikki Flutey in the opening exchanges. Now, against a physical Scottish team that could conceivably struggle with D’Arcy’s footwork, there remains an argument for recalling him.
This might in part depend how he goes for Leinster away to the Ospreys on Friday night. However, history has shown that Kidney does not tend to change winning sides. Furthermore, the Wallace-O’Driscoll partnership worked well away to the All Blacks and Australia last summer, was abandoned without notable success last autumn but has now been central to three successive wins.
A similar logic may apply to, say, hooker and scrumhalf – where Rory Best and Peter Stringer have contributed hugely off the bench. But Jerry Flannery’s darts have been on the money and he is Ireland’s third-highest ball carrier, while Tomás O’Leary’s sharper box-kicking contributed to an improved all-round display. And he attacked the blindside cleverly in the build-up to the pressure which culminated in the try.
In terms of selection, therefore, history may be about to repeat itself.
gthornley@irishtimes.com
