ON RUGBY:Granted he doesn't have the physicality of O'Leary or the speed of Reddan, but his speed of thought and pass are surely made for the style Ireland aspire to, writes GERRY THORNLEY

SCOTLAND V IRELAND in Murrayfield in the third round of the RBS Six Nations was always going to be pivotal. Had Ireland beaten France it would have been the third leg of a putative Grand Slam. Instead, results so far have left each team desperately searching for a form of redemption, with next Sunday’s loser staring down the barrel of a decidedly anti-climactic campaign.

Admittedly, the Scots still have their annual get-out-of-jail card against England, even if they had raised their sights higher than that, though quite why Marc Lievremont, a la Warren Gatland, has provided grist to the English mill is an odd one.

Encouraged by a run of one defeat in seven games, and by their three tries in Paris (which has been put in perspective by France’s defensive frailties before and since) Scotland buoyantly gave Andy Robinson a new four-year deal only to see their grander ambitions fall asunder against Wales.

Injuries have compounded a host of selection issues for Robinson and co, and perhaps the most pertinent is at outhalf where, if they retain Dan Parks, they probably need to revert to the tried-and-trusted Parks-type percentage, pressing, kicking game.

Ireland go into this game from a higher base, even if they need to exorcise the ghosts of Croke Park against Scotland in the finale to last season’s Six Nations. Ireland have never fully recovered, with doubts persisting about their new-found running game, both in its accuracy and in marrying it with better tactics and discipline.

Allowing for the continuing concession of penalties at the breakdown, mostly against the tackler for not releasing, it’s been overlooked that the defensive display against France was actually very good, save for Gordon D’Arcy’s missed tackle on Rougerie and when the latter’s pass enabled Poitrenaud to outflank the Irish defence for a kick and chase.

The new tackle law continues to create problems for defensive systems, but Ireland’s defensive performance against France was one of their best for a while, with the high rate of double-tackles negating France’s offloading game. A reprise of that, a modest variation in tactics and reduced handing errors would make Ireland favourites on Sunday.

Also generally overlooked was Paul O’Connell’s most compellingly physical 80 minute effort since his comeback and all in all Declan Kidney and co have comparatively little to fret about in terms of selection.

On what was another encouraging weekend for Irish rugby given the provinces’ performances in the Magners League, in the short-term, there wasn’t too much in it for the Irish management, given, for example, the callow selection put out by Leinster.

Even so, it was no harm to see Leo Cullen, eh, overcome his exertions against France.

Longer-term, the performances of Andrew Conway, Eamonn Sheridan, Ian McKinley et al was further evidence that no conveyor belt in Europe is chugging along as effectively as Leinster’s.

Tommy Bowe and, perhaps, Andrew Trimble, merely coming through 80 minutes, appears to have been the most significant developments of the weekend for Kidney, with Bowe’s return potentially the only change.

The most relevant performance, in the context of the Six Nations, was Munster’s, given their relatively sizeable Irish contingent, although again the management have opted to ignore Peter Stringer.

For sure Stringer would not give Ireland the defensive and offensive physicality, not to mention tries, of Tomás O’Leary, nor indeed the speed off the base of Eoin Reddan. But when it comes to the basics, Stringer remains the template for any aspiring Ireland scrumhalf. His footwork is well nigh perfect, never requiring him to adjust his position. If quick ball is required for his outhalf, he never takes a step. His wristy delivery is all the easier for the first receiver to catch and then move on because of the way the ball travels, vertically, through the air.

There was a time a couple of seasons ago when even his service had become a bit erratic but this season one can hardly recall him missing a single pass. (There was one against Edinburgh last Friday, but as it came with a penalty advantage to Munster in their own 22, even that was well-timed.) But now, at 33, and a teetotaller, he is as fit as the proverbial flea and arguably playing better than at any point in his 95-match Test career. With experience has come an even sharper rugby brain.

Such is his anticipation he is often one step ahead of others around him. His speed to the base is so quick that, honestly, on one occasion during Munster’s win over Edinburgh on Friday night, he even beat the cameraman to the breakdown.

Once there, like, say, an Arsenal or Barcelona player, he’s always thinking ahead and appears to know what he’s doing before he receives possession. So it is Stringer rarely has to look before he plays, knowing instinctively where his outhalf will be. His flat, blindside skip pass for Tony Buckley was reminiscent of the pass for Shane Horgan’s Triple Crown-winning try at Twickenham five years ago.

His treatment becomes curiouser and curiouser.

Undoubtedly, it helps that he and Ronan O’Gara have an intuitive understanding. O’Gara always looks a better player outside Stringer and it was great to watch the two in tandem on Friday night, whipping the ball out to midfield in the minimum time. Sexton, for the time being, can only imagine what it’s like, having heretofore played the grand total of one match on the end of Stringer’s service, against Argentina last autumn.

One can’t help but feel Gordon D’Arcy, Brian O’Driscoll and the Irish backline would benefit accordingly. Perhaps not entirely unrelated, Lifeimi Mafi looked back to his self-confident best again on Friday. For his outside break in the 13 channel off quick ball from the tail of the lineout in the build-up to Munster’s third and Doug Howlett’s second try, the ball arrived in Mafi’s hands on the gain line in rapid quick time.

If there was encouragement for Munster in Mafi’s form, and for Ireland in Denis Leamy’s performance, there would have been mixed feelings and no little surprise in Buckley’s fired-up performance in the week of his agreeing a three-year deal with Sale Sharks.

Sale are at a low ebb and it’s a shame to see Buckley go, but a la Mike Ross, maybe it will be the making of him.