Tactical reshuffle needed to spark Irish to victory

IT WASN'T a classic and the Irish laboured for more than an hour to put away a far from vintage New Zealand Rugby News youths selection. However Eddie O'Sullivan's boys got there in the end.

Ultimately, all it took was a tactical reshuffle and a bit of Thomond Park passion - a rousing enough final 15 minutes proving sufficient to galvanise a hitherto somnolent and relatively small crowd of about 1,500 and steer the home side over the winning line. All of which helped to erase from the memory much of what had gone before.

The turnaround, when it came worked with almost effortless efficiency in comparison to the huffing and puffing of the first-half, and then playing second fiddle to the Kiwis for the third quarter.

The Irish were already responding to a 3-0 lead being overturned by two long-range penalties by Calvin Howarth in quick succession when the Irish management made a double tactical substitution - the primary effect of which was to switch the Blackrock centre Emmett Farrell to out-half.

Suddenly there was variation and momentum to Ireland's game where there had just been across-the-pitch orthodoxy before and Farrell augmented an equalising penalty prior to the tactical overhaul with a drop goal and another penalty to win the game.

All of which might sound like a damning verdict on the replaced out-half Barry Everitt but it would be a little unfair to saddle him with all the blame for a failure to put away almost ceaseless first-half possession and territorial supremacy. A talented player, alas the Garryowen out-half just had a bit of an off-day.

In fairness to the Irish they were undoubtedly unhinged by the sixth minute departure of flanker David Watt. Against that though, his replacement, Rory Sheriff, merely strengthened the Irish line-out. However, as the kicks went abegging, so too did much useful possession. Repeatedly the ball was spun across the backs to no great effect, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the New Zealanders were far from discouraged in encroaching the gain line by Welsh referee Tony Rowlands, though in any case the passing was too flat and the lines of running too lateral. Not once did the Irish utilise an inside runner to stop the visitors drifting across the pitch.

All of which was a shame for you could see that there was much under-utilised talent in the home ranks. David Wallace, the Garryowen flanker and younger brother of full internationals Richie and Paul, looks another serious talent in the making (what do they feed them?) The props, tight-head Lewis Johnston and loose-head Barry McConnell especially, were strikingly mobile. Farrell and Michael Smyth look like more than decent footballers in the making and the pacey Denis Hickie was a danger whenever he had the chance which, sadly, wasn't enough.

Hence, after such profligacy, it came as no surprise when the New Zelanders began to get their maul going and put the Irish on the back foot. Nonetheless, the malaise spread to them as well. Despite the coaching stamp of Buck Shelford and Sid Going, they are not the pick of New Zealand's under-21 crop.

It took those long-range penalties by Howarth just past the hour to ignite the game, in particular the Irish. Wallace's most significant of many striking contributions was to provide some incisiveness and straight running into another cross-field Irish move inside his own half after 68 minutes.

Scrum-half Stephen Bell, gamely deputising for the injured Irish A scrum-half Brian O'Meara, if lacking the latter's crispness of pass, then did his best to bring the profligate Irish within kicking range by tapping four successive penalties which began inside his own half, culminating in Farrell equalising from close range.

The Irish were up and running. Farrell's excellent flat pass released the impressive Michael Smyth on half-way, he in turn finding Kyle Johnston who then cramped Hickie for space. Nonetheless, first Wallace and then Frank Sheahan scrambled some more yardage for Farrell to land a drop goal.

Farrell then followed up his own kick to nail the counter-attacking New Zealand full-back Jack Moeke with the help of Andrew Park - Moeke failing to release the ball for Farrell to seal the win with another penalty. Almost comprehensive in the end.