Like Keith Earls last week, Ireland were served well against Italy by a winger who seems to be coming to the boil at just the right time.
Apparently, an Aussie newspaper had a go at Tommy Bowe recently for a supposed lack of pace. A proper pacey winger, they said, would have finished off the superb breakaway that Bowe made towards the death in Ireland’s epic win over the Wallabies a fortnight back.
Instead, Bowe came up just a little bit short on the right touchline, his legs giving way at the last moment as James O’Connor rushed to cover from the far side.
Not content with one of their past players criticising Ireland for supposed time-wasting tactics and implicating Alan Gaffney in the process, the bitter Aussies went to even greater lengths in an attempt to deny us from gleaning positives from what was a monumental and unprecedented victory. Hardly fair dinkum, as they might say in that part of the world.
In any case, Bowe delivered a telling riposte to any that might doubt his searing acceleration and pace with an explosive display against the Italians in Dunedin. He had been kept in cotton wool coming into the tournament and seemed a little ring rusty early on, but he has grown in stature as the competition has gone on and seems to be timing his return to peak form to perfection.
He didn’t score a try, but he should have been awarded two. In the first half, Sean O’Brien’s pass looked little dodgy, but it was clearly backwards and although Bowe had to juggle with it a little bit, he did so legitimately before touching down under the posts.
Not given, but not to worry, there would be more to come in the second half. Ireland had clearly been the more dominant outfit before half-time, but needed a try to assert their dominance and it was Bowe that provided the inspiration for the one that eventually arrived.
Running yet another devastating line in the midfield, Bowe spotted a gap between the centres, accelerated through it and showed the presence of mind to offload inside to the supporting O’Driscoll, who did as he done throughout his career and crossed for his 45th test try.
Like Earls, Bowe is coming to the boil nicely and this confidence will be nicely poised ahead of the clash with his Welsh buddies next week.
Excellent again from Bowe, but the coup de grace arrived later on. Ireland were rampant midway through the second half and when Bowe received the ball inside his 22 on the right touchline, he smelt blood. A cute grubber down the line was met with a hack and then another hack inside as Bowe put any doubts about his pace to bed by bursting past a sea of Italian defenders.
About to crown this wonderfully innovative passage of play with a touchdown behind the line, the Monaghan man was clearly impeded by two retreating Italian defenders, but perhaps not wanting to pile further misery on the Italians, TMO Bryce Lawrence said there had been no foul play.
Ireland went on to score another try through Keith Earls at the death and considering that Earls scored a brace on his birthday and Sean O’Brien has achieved cult status to the point that Chuck Norris-like odes to his brilliance are doing the rounds, it will likely be those two that command the headlines.
Not that Bowe will care. Like Earls, he is coming to the boil nicely and his confidence will be nicely poised ahead of the clash with his Welsh buddies next week.
Bowe is by all accounts a hugely popular figure at both club and international level but for once, his Ospreys mates will not be glad to see him coming.
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