Leaden Ireland must try smarter

Ireland 20 Samoa 10:AFTER FOUR Test defeats in a row, and six losses in all, Ireland needed a win before the almighty All Blacks rolled into town yesterday. Ireland removed the monkey from their backs, but in terms of restoring confidence levels this was not what the doctor prescribed; the men in black will not be quaking in their boots.

Whether it’s a temporary loss of form or something more significant remains to be seen, but with each game things become more worrisome.

It’s hard to put your finger on what’s gone wrong. Once again, there were plenty of mitigating circumstances, uppermost being a highly physical and powerful Samoan team, whose tight five, especially, fronted up more than generally expected.

In Kahn Fotuali’i they had the best player on the pitch. The strong-carrying, quick-passing scrumhalf orchestrated the Samoan running game, in tandem with George Stowers; the Canterbury half-back even switched to outhalf for the last 10 minutes with equal facility. Given his origins, quality and versatility, the wonder is a European club hasn’t yet lured him to the Northern Hemisphere.

Conditions were also probably a good deal worse than they looked from the loftier perches of the Aviva Stadium or on television, and Irish players confirm that not only was the ball greasy but the surface is slippier than most pitches when there’s any kind of rain.

Then there was Keith Brown. Referees have to start somewhere, but it’s a pity he had to start here. Given IRB referees chief Paddy O’Brien had re-emphasised the delayed engagements during a meeting with all the November officials earlier in the week, the extra delays and slippy surface certainly contributed to the number of collapses and re-set scrums.

But if it was bad enough to have to pay 50 quid to see this, why would anyone pay an extra €10 for a ref link to hear a sermon-like mantra of “crouch, touch, pause, engage”?

For Brown to penalise Ireland eight times in scrums – four direct penalties and four indirect – seemed ludicrous.

For example, the direct penalty against John Hayes for going to ground at an Irish five-metre scrum – when Sakaria Taulafo clearly slipped the bind, twisted and hit the ground – beggared belief.

Things improved a little when the Irish frontrow was restructured, but, even so, Ireland used up two attacking penalties and over four minutes on the clock entering the last 10 minutes before being penalised again, which rather summed up the day.

Not for the first time, one wondered why they didn’t opt for channel one ball and have Peter Stringer move it quickly away to the backs.

Similar thoughts occurred when watching Ireland plough laboriously through the phases off improved lineout ball. When, in the 18th minute, Devin Toner’s tap-down worked Denis Leamy through the middle of the line and they went through 13 phases for a patiently constructed try by Jamie Heaslip, it probably encouraged them into thinking more of the same would reap rewards.

Three more times off attacking lineouts on the left, Ireland opted for steady streams of one-off target runners in an attempt to batter Samoa into submission, but the big-tackling visitors just lined up the carriers and warmed to their task.

Perhaps low on confidence, Ireland fell into the “try harder” rather than “try smarter” trap, and long before the end looked quite one-dimensional. Whatever mix they’re striving for, it seemed to be closer in style to the Springboks, or olde England, than the All Blacks.

Again, conditions must have been a factor, but it would be nice to see Ireland setting wider targets, maybe shortening the line and using off-the-top ball to launch the likes of Jamie Heaslip, Seán O’Brien or David Wallace in midfield or outside the centres.

When Ireland did opt for a couple of strike moves through the backs it was, as with much else, off slow ball. Mr Brown allowed players to go off their feet with surprising latitude, but Ireland couldn’t generate quick ball, in large part because they were so intent on running straight into contact.

There was little in the way of good footwork to take the tackle on their terms, and hence little in the way of off-loading.

The Samoan try in the 22nd minute revealed a cutting edge beyond Ireland throughout the 80 minutes. A lineout maul and infield surge by captain Mahonri Schwalger sucked in the fringe defence to generate one-on-ones outside.

Ironically, Fotuali’i’s pass to Tasesa Lavea was his worst of the match, and may have contributed to Paddy Wallace being lured inside, but the outhalf’s superb take and pass put Seilala Mapusua through the gap for him to put Alesana Tuilagi over.

One couldn’t recall the Irish backs generating one such line break in the entire game, and they were clinging on when Tom Court pilfered turnover ball for Toner to pass on to Donncha O’Callaghan for a hoof upfield. Stephen Ferris, who added some needed ballast off the bench, earned the penalty which Stringer quick-wittedly tapped and Ronan O’Gara stepped inside Lavea for a try.

O’Gara had earlier become the fourth highest points scorer of all time, over-taking Andrew Mehrtens, and by converting his 15th Test try went on to score 15 points, thus taking his tally in three games against Samoa to 62.

Not that he or anybody else would have been swinging from the chandeliers.

SCORING SEQUENCE: 2:O'Gara pen 3-0; 18: Heaslip try, O'Gara con 10-0; 22: Tuilagi try, Williams con 10-7; 31: O'Gara pen 13-7; 54: Williams pen 13-10; 66: O'Gara try, con 20-10.

IRELAND: L Fitzgerald (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt), P Wallace (Ulster), A Trimble (Ulster); R O'Gara (Munster), P Stringer (Munster); T Court (Ulster), S Cronin (Connacht), J Hayes (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), D Toner (Leinster), D Leamy (Munster), S O'Brien (Leinster), J Heaslip (Leinster). Replacements: R Best (Ulster) for Cronin, S Ferris (Ulster) for Heaslip (both 61 mins); C Healy (Leinster) for Hayes (63 mins); D Ryan (Munster) for Toner (68 mins); I Boss (Leinster) for Stringer (77 mins). Not used: J Sexton (Leinster), K Earls (Munster).

SAMOA: P Williams (Clermont Auvergne); D Lemi (Wasps), G Pisi (Taranaki), S Mapusua (London Irish), A Tuilagi (Leicester); T Lavea (Clermont Auvergne), K Fotuali'i (Canterbury); S Taulafo (Wasps), M Schwalger (Taranaki, capt), A Perenise (Hawkes Bay), F Lavea Levi (Newcastle), K Thompsen (Southland), O Trevarinus (Malie, Samoa), M Salavea (Narbonne), G Stowers (London Irish). Replacements: J Poluleuligaga (Exeter) for Lavea (69 mins); I Tekori (Castres) for Levi, A Aiono (Leulumoega, Samoa) for Salavea (both 71 mins); S Lemalu (Counties Manukau) for Taulafo (77 mins); G Williams (Clermont Auvergne) for Pisi (78 mins). Not used: S Fualau (Canterbury), J Helleur (Auckland).

Referee: Keith Brown(New Zealand).