Will the real Ireland team please stand up?

Gerry Thornley On Rugby: So who are the real Ireland? That appears the abiding, most vexing question arising out of their fourth Six Nations game in Murrayfield last Saturday.

Is it the Irish team that peaked at home to Australia last November and even more strikingly against England, or the team that once again failed to back up a big performance and their own expectations, never mind the media or public, next time out?

Eddie O'Sullivan twice apportioned part of the blame to the Irish media for the "hoopla" they generated after the 43-13 win over England. Yet it was only in keeping with the public's perception of that performance and indeed their own satisfaction with that performance; as good, according to O'Sullivan, as any in his tenure.

The Irish coach was more specifically referring to the media's perception that last Saturday in Murrayfield would be a walk in the park, but most of the media appeared to acknowledge that, being human, it would be well nigh impossible for Ireland to rescale those heights.

What palpably disappointed the players and the massive Irish contingent in Murrayfield was the lack of accuracy and precision in their performance which, more than anything, undid much of their good work and gradually allowed Scotland into a game they had started reactively rather than proactively.

Watching the tens of thousands descending on Murrayfield on Saturday in the fall-out from that unforgettable day against England at Croke Park, and bearing in mind the anticipated St Patrick's Day invasion of the Eternal City, prompted the question: are Ireland becoming the new Munster? If so, then one below-par performance will not change that, for it is founded in a belief that this team can credibly aspire to being Grand Slam/Six Nations and World Cup contenders. Perhaps some of us are over-rating them, but it's hard not to think of this Irish team in this light after the performances against Australia and England.

The whole breakdown area, the way Ireland cleared the ball out, Scotland's deliberate slowing down of the ball and Dave Pearson's refereeing of that area, were a major contributory factor in Ireland's inability to create their high-tempo game.

However, what makes Ireland's performance last Saturday all the more puzzling is that the relatively assured handling and highly skilled accuracy of their wins over Australia and England were in near torrential downpours and with the proverbial bar of soap. The scratchier and increasingly nervous effort against Scotland, and indeed against Wales, not to mention the nervous opening quarter against France, were all played in sun-kissed conditions. Go figure.

It cannot be technical, given they demonstrated such high skills against Australia and England, so presumably it must be more a psychological or emotional problem. Of course, these Irish players, like all sportsmen and women, are human beings. They're not robots.

Still, it was evident to at least one former Irish international that Irish emotions were not running so high before the kick-off in Murrayfield. He also made the point that rugby, especially at the top level, is about playing with controlled madness, but while there was control last Saturday, there wasn't enough madness.

In large part this was because Ireland were away from home, and it is well nigh impossible to reproduce the emotional intensity that pertained prior to, and subsequent from, the kick-off in Croke Park two weeks before.

Indeed, this applies equally to the Irish supporters and here a 1.30pm kick-off to accommodate the BBC's coverage of a Middlesbrough v Manchester United FA Cup tie doesn't help. As one colleague observed, it is inextricably linked to what Fr Jack would exclaim as "Drink!". Of course, it would take an Irish hack to detect this, but it is undoubtedly true.

Clearly, Ireland need to generate such emotional intensity from within, but that is much harder said than done. France also struggled to do so in Twickenham. Indeed, both the Twickenham and Stadio Flaminio results went against the favourites, and Scotland were around 14-point underdogs in Murrayfield. The whole weekend just underlined how even the bookies forget to factor in home advantage, for it has been proven in scientific studies that testosterone levels run much higher in teams who are playing at home than away.

In their sometimes tetchy and nervous reaction to Scotland making a game of it, Ireland wouldn't be the first team with aspirations to greatness to respond in such a way, but at least they had the on-field leadership and inner desire to keep their heads and pull through.

Of course, Ireland should never have let their performance dip to the levels of last Saturday. Comparisons with the All Blacks may be excessive, but Ireland are entitled to compare themselves with the best. Putting England to the sword was New Zealandesque. Against that, it's doubtful the All Blacks would have made 18 errors and ultimately struggled to put that Scottish side away two weeks after routing England.

The other problem for this Irish team is they are a good team, but not yet a good squad or even a proven 22, as the absence of Brian O'Driscoll and Peter Stringer against France underlined. That makes stringing together big performances all the more difficult as it's virtually impossible to field the same 15 consistently over five games.

Paul O'Connell's absence compounds that of Malcolm O'Kelly and, with Leo Cullen seemingly again overlooked, leaves Ireland exposed to trying relatively untried locks at this level. With Italy alone among European teams in not having a dearth of Test-quality props, and Pierre Berbizier making it a policy decision to launch an entirely new frontrow to telling effect in the recent wins over Scotland and Wales, this highlights the need for Marcus Horan's recovery.

Most of all the hope is that the real Ireland will stand up, and that the real Ireland is at least much closer to the one we saw against England than the one we saw last Saturday.