RUGBY:Ireland have won one and lost seven of their last eight games, and it's down to making too many errors, writes MATT WILLIAMS
IT HAS been a week of tough numbers in Ireland. Not only was the leadership of the country spinning our heads with their bad numbers but so was the leadership of the national rugby team. The first numbers became evident last Saturday with the 18-38 loss to New Zealand.
Sadly for me, the happy and brave defeat syndrome raised its head again. People suggesting a lot was gained in defeat have got the wrong end of the stick. I’m delighted to say the team did not buy into that alchemy. Winning is the only game in town and when you don’t win there is the unpleasant reality: you are a loser.
I’m not name calling, merely stating a fact I have had to carry myself. In high performance sport you either win or you lose. The statistic that won’t help Declan Kidney sleep well at night is the one and seven win/loss return from the last eight games.
Since the Grand Slam in 2009 Ireland have steadily dropped down the IRB world rankings, with Scotland leaping above them to sixth. Even Argentina have made steady progress, up to eighth, with two wins out of their last five games, including a narrow defeat in France last weekend that indicates a massive forward battle tomorrow.
I know the saying: lies, damned lies and statistics, but these are more a statement of accounts. Profit and loss. The national team, like the banking system, is badly in need of a healthy injection of success.
If Eddie O’Sullivan or Warren Gatland had produced these numbers and results the collective media would be clambering for blood. Kidney has won a Six Nations championship and two European Cups, which is why this has not occurred.
But, to paraphrase Harry Truman, the buck has to stop somewhere and in my experience it is always with the boss. Quite frankly, the national team are under-performing. They know it and we know it. That tide needs to turn.
Let’s be frank about one other unpleasant occurrence that is causing these poor numbers. What do Gio Aplon’s and Alesani Tuiliagi’s tries, the brace by Kieran Read and Anthony Boric and Sam Whitelock’s touch downs last Saturday all have in common? They were scored off errors in the Irish defensive system.
That means the structures, put in place and monitored by an excellent specialist coach in Les Kiss, were abandoned by the players under severe pressure. Ireland made 183 tackles to New Zealand’s 75. Here is a simple rule of thumb in rugby: miss any more than nine tackles and you will be beaten. It doesn’t matter if you make 200 tackles. Miss 10 and you lose.
Ireland missed 14 tackles.
The numbers get worse when we look at the restarts. New Zealand kicked six restarts, Ireland kicked nine. From a total of 15 restarts, Ireland gathered possession, wait for it, once.
The Irish catching and kicking off the restart was at a very low standard. There is a lot of evidence to state whoever gets hold of the restart will score next. Dan Carter’s kicking and New Zealand’s high fielding was the best I have ever seen at Test level.
At least last week’s performance proved Ireland aspire to win. They were courageous and energetic but you cannot hope to win by missing double digit tackles, failing to counter-attack with any coherent plan (for three games now) and failing to secure the restarts that are kicked to them.
New Zealand, Australia, England, France and Wales have all developed strong counter-attacking systems to get full value from opposition kicks, turnover balls or quick lineouts.
Whitelock’s try came from a turnover off a kick, Read’s second try came from a fast lineout, while Boric’s came off a turnover. Ireland do not have the attack policies in place to make a similar impact from these situations. I have said it for four weeks now: this is the biggest change in modern rugby.
The definition of insanity is repeating the same actions and expecting a different outcome. Things need to change.
The Pumas are not New Zealand but, yet again, this autumn I am astounded by how they are perceived in this country. After all the gruelling battles with Argentina you would think it wise not to dismiss this proud, deliberate and skilful side. They also have Ireland’s mental game well in hand.
A quick glance at their club base shows that all but two players are European based, predominantly in France. The hand of their greatest ever scrumhalf, Gus Pichot, is still evident as he guides talented Argentinians to Europe.
My last act as Leinster coach was to sign Felipe Contepomi. A fact that seemed to have ramifications for Irish rugby for many years. Felipe is the best reason why the Pumas cannot be written off. I struggle to think of a foreign player who has given more to Irish rugby or played so hard against them in the Test arena.
He is a gentleman and remains a passionate athlete, as evident again at Thomond Park last month.
An immediate target for his old Munster pals, Felipe would have been forgiven for sitting back and minding himself in a weakened Toulon line-up but that approach simply isn’t in his DNA. He ran hard at the Munster line, catching high balls under pressure and tackling like a banshee.
In what is possibly his last game in Ireland, I hope the Lansdowne crowd afford him the respect he deserves for what was a great contribution to the game in this country.
