Irish Loss Ironically Shows The Turning Of A Corner

by Dugald Skene

Given the result on Sunday, and the nature of the 12-8 loss for Ireland at Murrayfield that day, it might be strange to suggest that the Irish have finally decided to turn the corner that they have seemingly refused since their 2009 Grand Slam winning campaign.  But I think that's exactly what has happened.

Declan Kidney has taken much of the stick for Ireland's poor display, particularly in the second half, and although culpable to a large degree, he also needs to be praised for his approach to the game.

Ireland were ultimately let down by the players' inability to finish off the chances they created and convert the huge amounts of possession and territory they enjoyed in the game. They allowed the Scots back into the game and paid the price.

Declan Kidney has taken the brunt of the blame

for Ireland's loss to Scotland

Hindsight, as they say, is a wonderful thing, and everyone can point fingers at the coaching staff for poor selection, but that isn't what lost the game.

Instead if I was an Irish fan, once the pain of such a demoralising loss had subsided, I'd be encouraged that the Irish dominated a game for huge portions of the match with a lot of young and fresh talent.

So Paddy Jackson didn't have a great day with the kicking tee.  It happens, he'll improve.  Fellow debutant Luke Marshall was the standout player in the first half and looked perfectly at home in international rugby.  With the recent debut caps for the likes of Craig Gilroy and Simon Zebo, I think we are starting to see the changing of the old guard in Irish rugby.

This has been coming for Irish fans. The so called 'golden generation', led by inspirational centre Brian O'Driscoll, is starting to fade away, although O'Driscoll (along with Rob Kearney) is one of the few who can still legitimately claim a starting berth for the Irish.  Ronan O'Gara has lost his ability to secure a match in the closing stages as a stabilising substitute.  Some of his decision making was flawed to say the very least when Ireland needed him and his renowned composure in such a tight contest.  Although forced out by injury, I don't believe Gordon D'Arcy is worthy of a starting place in the team and the likes of Luke Marshall have shown that to be the case.

These players all peaked during their 2009 Grand Slam campaign and Kidney rode the wave created by that success through to the World Cup in New Zealand in 2011.  If 2009 wasn't the time to change, 2011 surely was.  And yet Kidney has for the large part refused to adapt and bring in younger talent when the chances have come.  For me, in culminated in the 3-0 series loss in New Zealand.

Since that summer tour, Kidney has recognised the need to freshen up the team.  He has selected a new captain in Jamie Heaslip, despite the ongoing participation of O'Driscoll.  He has debuted more players in the last 6 months than I can remember for some time.

I accept that most of the changes made for Sunday's game were borne out of necessity given the extensive injury list Ireland currently have, but Kidney didn't have to start Jackson. He could have played it safe and started O'Gara, but he chose not to.  Regardless of the result and the player's own performance, that has to be applauded.

It may all be too little too late as the fans and media in Ireland mount increasing pressure on Kidney, but it can't be argued that he is trying to do something new and finally get Ireland out of the selection rut it has been in for the last 4 years or so.

Every change comes with growing pains, and Sunday's defeat at Murrayfield is the first big one.  They are also hard to get used to, especially when the status quo has been in place for over a decade.

If Kidney is really trying to push through a much needed revolution in Irish Rugby, he has to be given the chance to see it out.  There is still enough time before the next World Cup to develop these young players into hardened test match veterans, but they need to be exposed to that environment now for it to take effect.  It's hard to change a culture that so many have become accustomed to and there will be losses along the way, but it's all for the greater good in my book.

6 Nations Round 4: Team Of The Round

by Dugald Skene

Here's my take on the outstanding performers in this weekends RBS 6 Nations. What do you think?

1. Cian Healy
2. Rory Best
3. Dan Cole
4. Richie Gray
5. Ian Evans
6. Tom Croft
7. Julien Bonnaire
8. Sergio Parisse

9. Eoin Reddan
10. Owen Farrell
11. Andrew Trimble
12. Jamie Roberts
13. Manu Tuilagi
14. Alex Cuthbert
15. Leigh Halfpenny

Jamie Roberts scoring for Wales against Italy

Honourable mentions go to Imanol Harinordoquy, Lee Dickson, Chris Robshaw, Keith Earls, David Denton, Wesley Fofana, Brad Barritt, Stephen Ferris and Donnacha Ryan.

What do you think? Who would you change?

Scotland Lose Battle To Forget In Dublin

Ireland 32-14 Scotland

by Dugald Skene

"We are where we are" were the strikingly resigned words from Andy Robinson during the press conference following Saturday's Scotland defeat to Ireland in Dublin.

It's easy to understand his frustrations. As seems to be the way with Scotland in this tournament, it was individual errors and lapses in concentration that led to Scotland's downfall, rather than coaches tactics or decisions.  Take the Irish tries, at least two of which could be considered soft from Scotland's point of view.  Certainly, Eoin Reddan's squirm from the tackle area to touch down for Ireland's second should never have been allowed by the Scottish forwards and Andrew Trimble should never have been allowed over the line from where he first made contact with Lee Jones.

Many of the pre-match issues and players that were singled out before the match never really came into play.  Ross Rennie had a relatively quiet game by his standards, rarely capitalising on the breakdown advantage that Scotland gained following the withdrawal of Sean O'Brien.  Tommy Bowe, with 5 tries already to his name, never really featured in a game where he was perhaps judged unlucky to not to be awarded a try after an almost comical wrestling match with Graeme Morrison.

And then there was the much vaunted 'choke' tackle.  Was it because one of it's key exponents Sean O'Brien was missing?  Was it because the Irish pulled back on their use of it following a week of talk on it? Or was it because Scotland played to avoid it happening so much?  Maybe it was a bit of all three, but ultimately it didn't play a part in the game as much as many predicted.  If anything, it was the Scots who tried it on the Irish every so often, with Rennie on at least two occasions seen to be holding the man up.

Instead of any of these, it was the lesser known names on the pitch that made much of the impact on this fixture.  With Paul O'Connell missing, it was Donacha Ryan who stepped up to give a man of the match performance, competing at the breakdown well, carrying efficiently and also was the first man in the tournament to steal ball from the Scottish lineout, twice.

The Irish as a whole were in a very aggressive mood throughout the fixture.  Cian Healy was like a bull in a china shop at times, constantly looking for carries and puncturing holes in the Scottish defensive line.  Simply, he was a pest for the Scots.  Johnny Sexton too, continued to provide evidence of his new found defensive confidence.  Rory Best was also feeling in confident mood as captain, choosing to kick to the corner when his team were 6-0 down.  His decision proved to be the right one as he himself scored in the corner from the resultant set play from the lineout, flooring Mike Blair in the process.

If there were signs of the Irish flagging after only a 6 day turnaround from the French game,I didn't see them. They looked more like the team that had the extra week preparation and that says a lot about the game.  Scotland looked tired at times and the usual perpetual ball carrying of Rennie and Ford didn't happen. 

I think the late withdrawal of Nick de Luca during the warm up due to a hamstring strain played a bigger factor than most recognise in the game.  With Max Evans taking his place at 13 and leaving Sean Lamont on the wing to look after Tommy Bowe, their was suddenly an imbalance in the midfield which Keith Earls did well to expose several times.  Had de Luca remained in the line up and played like he had against France, I think Scotland would have had the upper hand in the midfield, particularly in defence where he is more accustomed to the blitz defence.

There were positive performances from Scotland.  Denton was everywhere once again and Richie Gray had another fine game, scoring after selling fullback Rob Kearney the most audacious of dummies.

Richie Gray was in imperious form in the loose against Ireland

That try 3 minutes before half time should have seen Scotland go into half time with only a 3 point deficit but instead they allowed the Irish to come back at them, ending with Trimble scoring in the corner after Lee Jones missed his tackle.  What Gray's try did expose were the occasional defensive frailties of the Irish team in that first half, something that Scotland again failed to capitalise on.

With Scotland seep into Irish territory midway through the first half, Ross Ford made the decision to kick to the corner and work the ball from there rather than plump for the 3 points on offer.  Although Scotland didn't strike from the lineout play, the Irish were penalised, and warned for foul play from the referee.  What Ford did next, for me, showed his inexperience as captain.  By then opting for the 3 points, he not only undermined his own earlier decision to kick for touch, but also missed an opportunity to pile pressure on an Irish team in their own 5 metre zone whilst on a warning.  Any infringement would likely have taken the Irish down to 14 men at a time when Scotland were playing good rugby.

Scotland's frustration was epitomised by the Max Evans sinbinning. Hogg, who had a very quiet game, had the danger covered as Keith Earls poked through an over-egged kick towards the try line, but Evans felt compelled to tug on the Irishman who made the most of the contact.  It meant Evans was out for the final 7 minutes or so of the game.  Scotland were then camped within 10 metres of their own line for the remainder while Ireland capitalised on the numerical advantage with Fergus McFadden scoring under the posts.

There isn't a great deal that Scotland can take from this one.  After the weeks of promise accumulated from the performances against Wales and France particularly, much of the good work was undone to an extent.  Players underperformed or weren't allowed to perform.  I felt Greig Laidlaw's weaknesses were exposed by Ireland and he looked lost at times and very very small.  Stuart Hogg was quiet and Lee Jones missed tackle was the second time in this tournament he has been run over and a try has resulted.  His later clash with Andrew Trimble knocked him out cold on the pitch.  He was taken to hospital with his parents for precautionary scans. 

In truth, it was all of Scotland who were knocked out in Ireland and will want to forget this one quickly.  With a week before facing a tough Italian side in the 72,000 seat Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Scotland have a lot of work to do to avoid a wooden spoon and a seventh consecutive defeat.

Ireland vs Scotland Preview

Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Date: Saturday, 10 March
Kick-off: 1700 GMT

by Dugald Skene

By their own admission, Ireland are gutted they couldn't hold on to the 11 point advantage they gained by half time in their clash in Paris.  Not for decades had they a better opportunity at the midway point to beat the French in their own backyard.

What we can count on this weekend is the Irish backlash as they look to atone for their defensive sins which led to silly penalties and a Wesley Fofana try to let France claw themselves back to get a draw.  As inept as the French were going forward during the first half on Sunday, the Irish blitz defence was explosive.  The D'Arcy/Earls combination worked well for the majority of the game without being spectacular and Tommy Bowe capitalised on sluggish French back play to pick them off and get 2 touchdowns.

With talismanic second row and captain Paul O'Connell ruled out for the remainder of the tournament along with scrum half Conor Murray and Sean O'Brien ruled out at the last moment, Ireland will look to Rory Best who has recovered from some knocks sustained against France to lead out their team.  Regarding his fitness, he said "It was more precautionary having the scan and it's comforting to know there's nothing sinister there. I trained fully today".  It will be Best's 58th cap and will see him match Keith Woods as the most capped Irish hooker. 

Captain Paul O'Connell is out for the rest of the tournament

I don't see the withdrawal of Conor Murray being particularly problematic for the Irish.  If anything, I think Jonathan Sexton will benefit from having his club partner Eoin Reddan playing with him, a partnership that has proved so valuable for European champions Leinster the last few years.  The late withdrawal of Sean O'Brien due to a skin infection to his foot is a huge blow for the Irish.  One third of a revered back row partnership, his loss is a big plus for Scotland and the breakdown.

Scotland’s build up to Saturday’s game in Dublin has been much the same as the previous two games against Wales and France with an overriding message coming from the camp that they are on the right path and all that needs to change is the eradication of small errors around the field.
 

After the multiple injuries from a hugely physical battle with France, it is only Rory Lamont (broken leg) who doesn't make it back into the starting line up.  Sean, his brother, moves out to the wing and the open centre berth is retaken by the returning Nick de Luca, a place well earned after a fantastic substitute performance 2 weeks ago.

Despite the availability of Euan Murray, Andy Robinson has kept faith with the same forward 8 that competed so well against France, a tangible signal to players and fans alike that he is happy with the way the team are playing.

Ruaridh Jackson and Max Evans return to the fold and take their places on the bench with Duncan Weir the man giving way. 

To date, Robinson's tactics have been spot on.  As has been said so often the last few weeks, results have come down to execution, or lack of it in most cases.  As happened against France, the Scots will look to run through multiple phases in order to create defensive mismatches.  I think one target will be Andrew Trimble on the wing.  Lee Jones should look to expose the defensive frailties of the Ulsterman with his pace.  Trimble often comes infield to look for ball and if Stuart Hogg and/or Sean Lamont come across to create an overlap on that side, Scotland could get some success.

Perhaps the most anticipated battle will be at the breakdown where the Irish and Scottish back rows have been excellent to date.  Robinson has pinpointed the area as one that Scotland must win in order to gain overall supremacy in the game.  He also pointed out the Irish tactic of 'choke' tackling, keeping the man off the ground when he is tackled to form a maul.  There's no doubt that Scotland will have been working on this in the past couple of weeks.

Scotland will have to be at their very best against an Irish team that has underperformed to date.  The same could be said about the Scots and both teams will know it and would be foolish to underestimate their respective results.  Time will tell whether the added one week break the Scots have had will benefit them on the day.  The Irish on the other hand will be pleased they get the chance to put the French disappointment behind them as quickly as possible, but even 6 days is a quick turnaround in test rugby.

It will prove to be a very tight contest.  My bias and eternally rebounding optimism tells me that Scotland will win, but only by 5 points at most.  This has already been a very close tournament and Saturday's game looks like it will only continue the trend.

Ireland:

15. R Kearney, 14. T Bowe, 13. K Earls, 12. G D'Arcy, 11. A Trimble, 10. J Sexton, 9. E Reddan, 1. C Healy, 2. R Best (c), 3. M Ross, 4. D O'Callaghan, 5. D Ryan, 6. S Ferris, 7. P O'Mahony, 8. J Heaslip

Bench: 16. S Cronin, 17. T Court, 18. M McCarthy, 19. S Jennings, 20. T O'Leary, 21. R O'Gara, 22. F McFadden

Scotland:

15. S Hogg, 14. L Jones, 13. N de Luca, 12. G Morrison, 11. S Lamont, 10. G Laidlaw, 9. M Blair, 1. A Jacobsen, 2. R Ford (c), 3. G Cross, 4. R Gray, 5. J Hamilton, 6. J Barclay, 7. R Rennie, 8. D Denton

Bench: 16. S Lawson, 17. E Murray, 18. A Kellock, 19. R Vernon, 20. C Cusiter, 21. R Jackson, 22. M Evans