RUGBY/ AUTUMN INTERNATIONALS: IRELAND'S MOST stellar of rugby years could hardly have been rounded off on a more satisfying note. By dint of outmuscling, outlasting and ultimately outthinking the Springboks, Ireland completed a hat-trick of home wins over South Africa, an all-time record of 11 matches without defeat, and completed a first unbeaten calendar year, comprised of 10 wins and one draw, since 1985 – but that contained just four matches.
Considering where they were at this point last year, grimly clinging on to eighth in the world after a taut win over Argentina had followed the All Blacks’ bloodless coup a week before at Croke Park, it’s been some turnaround.
Following on from a first Grand Slam in 61 years, this past month has represented further progress, albeit with room for more.
“A coach has to say yes to that one,” joked Declan Kidney. “Yeah, I think there are little areas that we can look to improve on, our defence is going pretty well, Les (Kiss, defence coach) won’t be happy that there was a try that went in today but that’s the standard that the man sets.
“In attack we didn’t score a try, so obviously there will be areas that we’ll need to do that in. And then there’s a whole series of things we’ll have to learn by dealing with playing away from home, there are a lot of away matches coming up now – London, Paris, we’ll go to New Zealand for a couple of weeks and then finish off in Brisbane in June.”
Ultimately, as one suspected, Ireland not only wanted it more, fortune also favoured the more ambitious side. Ireland showed more of a willingness to keep the ball in hand and counter, whereas South Africa virtually ran out of all ambition until desperation demanded otherwise in the end game.
Aptly in this golden year, no Ireland rugby team has ever been so infused with Gaelic playing roots, and once again no one epitomised this more than Rob Kearney, who was simply sensational. He could surely have played Aussie Rules too, while Tommy Bowe was equally assured under the high ball and helped by Jonathan Sexton spiralling the ball huge distances, Ireland won the ping-pong too. This was the biter being bit.
That said, South Africa’s penchant for aerial bombardment must make them Kearney’s favourite opposition. Had the Boks forgotten the Lions tour? Ruan Pienaar is an experienced international, with 35 caps going back four years. On for Morne Steyn and presented with clean scrum ball in the middle of the pitch inside the last 10 minutes, he merely hoofed it down Kearney’s throat one more time. Eh, had he not been watching the first hour?
The Springboks were undoubtedly weary and not quite at optimum strength, but they weren’t far from it either and were undoubtedly up for this grudge match. At times it felt as if the fog could have been cordite.
Most of the Springboks sullenly made off for the tunnel without returning the guard of honour which the Ireland team afforded them in one of rugby’s most cherished age-old customs. There was huge rancour in the Ireland camp over this basic lack of courtesy but then these Boks revel in their hard-man, confrontational image.
Their gracious and articulate captain John Smit – without whom they’d have hardly any PR worth the name – and coach Pieter de Villiers both magnanimously accepted Ireland were worthy winners but it was a disappointing lack of courtesy from a team led by the World Cup-winning captain.
But that couldn’t deflect from a memorable, rip-roaring tussle to the backdrop of a mist as heavy as soup. De Villiers was so discommoded by it all he even called it a “night” game.
Declan Kidney’s Ireland have an honesty of effort from one to 15 and play for the full 80 minutes. They showed this memorably in the wins over England and Wales, and underlined it this month with the last-ditch draw against Australia and denying the Boks to the final whistle on Saturday.
Fittingly, in both instances, it was Brian O’Driscoll who had the final say, first with his try against the Wallabies and here with his impression of a human missile when bringing Zane Kirchner and the Boks to a bone-shuddering stop in the game’s last play.
Asked for his take on the Kirchner tackle, O’Driscoll grinned and said: “He was getting hit whether he had the ball or not. That was my take on it.”
