Three games down, two to go; it’s time for a mid-term report on Ireland’s Six Nations campaign so far.
By Conor Ward
With three games down and two to go in the championship, it strikes me as appropriate to conduct a little mid-term report of sorts (not that I have any great fondness for the things, they weren’t all glowing back in my schooldays).
But just like any self-respecting Maths teacher who knows his Pythagoras Theorem from his Cartesian Plane, I’ll try to give this straight down the line, so to speak. It’s something of a mixed bag really, a reflection of the performances and results to date I guess – progress thankfully reported in some areas, major concerns in others.
So without further ado or cherries on top, here are some aspects of Ireland’s play which have grabbed the attention thus far…
1. The set piece is still not right
The scrum was the big problem. Now that seems to getting fixed up a bit, and the lineout is going the other way. A couple of years ago Ireland’s lineout was a major strength and the source of much attacking possession.
We need to somehow get back to that. Rory Best and Sean Cronin are not great throwers to begin with, so they need to work on their accuracy as a matter of urgency, while the coaches figure out a strategy to keep opposition jumpers guessing.
2. The back-row is delivering as hoped
This is really the core strength of the side on the good days. That continues to be the case as much as ever. Sean O’Brien has been a revelation, as Jamie Heaslip and Stephen Ferris were a couple of years ago, while David Wallace can still summon his powers to produce some fine displays, albeit a little less often than in his prime.
With everyone fit, that’s four pretty serious players in a key area. If we are to go on and have a decent World Cup, they will surely be at the hub of most of the better features of our play.
3. The policy on substitutions needs to be addressed
Last week against Scotland, Declan Kidney made a raft of substitutions around the hour mark, when the game was still up for grabs. That was seemingly planned in advance of kick-off. It did him no favours.
I tend to agree with the pundit (you can probably guess who, former front-row who’s never short of an opinion) who says we should be keeping substitutions to a minimum. Let’s face it, Ireland don’t really have 22 high calibre internationals. It’s a stretch to say we have 15, being honest. So it really makes more sense to keep the best we have on the pitch for the full game if possible. There are a couple of exceptions to this, where the subs can make a positive impact.
Prior to starting against Scotland, Ronan O’Gara made a big impact off the bench against Italy and France
Kidney has worked a clever ploy of using Ronan O’Gara’s experience in the closing stages of games, and has been rewarded for it. Similarly in the back-row, where David Wallace might not last at full tilt up to the finish, and we have someone like Ferris or O’Brien who could be a genuine impact player. Apart from that, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
4. Discipline, discipline, discipline (of course this was bound to come up)
Actually, it not only about the discipline of players in individual situations – it goes deeper than that, to the coaching and preparation, and to interpretation of the rules. Ireland are just not getting it right at the breakdown, and have been haemorrhaging points as a result, soft points at that.
It’s an absolute killer, and as many have already said, it has to stop. Preferably right away please! The players now know that any use of hands at ruck time is likely to be punished, so they have to go back to old-fashioned grind, which means winning a straight physical contest. It’s obviously a source of consternation in the camp, and must be sorted before doing even greater damage to the cause.
5. The attacking play is reaping rewards
This has unfortunately been overlooked a touch, with all the focus being placed on the discipline and tactical issues. The fact is that Ireland have scored three tries in back-to-back games, and that tells me that they are doing an awful lot right. Therefore, keep doing it!
We have seen too many handling errors of course, which has scuppered yet more scoring opportunities, so if and when that improves we really could be in business. It was very encouraging to see the ball moved through multiple phases (albeit only in patches of the game) last week. If the players stick at it and show the courage of their convictions, greater rewards will inevitably follow.
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