The Future Is Green

What did we learn from Sunday’s ups and downs? asks Kristian Ross…

24/11/13. Fifteen men in green were twenty seconds away from a team in All Black. Touching distance of the greatest victory ever seen at Lansdowne Road past or present. Ireland was on it’s feet. New Zealand’s perfect calendar year was about to be obliterated at the final hurdle. 80 minutes had passed. Time had elapsed. Then the world’s greatest did what they do best. Covering ground with grace and ease. Towards the Irish line they went. The ball finds it’s way into Ryan Crotty’s hands…. and the rest is history.

Described as easily the greatest performance ever seen. Ireland were agonisingly off guard just when it mattered most on Sunday afternoon. But what did we learn? We learnt that in the space of just three games that Joe Schmidt has changed the way of thinking amongst the select group of players that wear the green jersey.

I for one have criticised some of the decisions that Schmidt has made when it’s came to selection of the squad. And yes, we should still be picking and nurturing our youth, but for now it has to be said, after the weekend there wasn't much to be said for any ageing player that took to the field at the Aviva. So many aspects of the game were simply faultless.

Where to start? Gordon D’Arcy rolled back the years with some deft running and creative line breaks. Rory Best had the best fifteen minutes of his career until he was very upsettingly taken off due to injury. Sean O’Brien once again proved he was world class. Conor Murray displayed his Lions worth, and was a major threat from the breakdown. Then came Rob Kearney. Injury problems. Criticised by many. Not quite at his best any more. On Sunday afternoon he proved why he is still easily one of the world’s best fullbacks with a display of clear aptitude in every area not to mention a try that will never ever forget. A barnstorming run of eight metres plus and giving Ireland a 19-0 lead.

It was evident where we went wrong though. The fantastic disciplined display from the first half wasn't mirrored in the second period and as penalties went against us, New Zealand took full advantage. Next up was the points tally. Last year saw Ireland play South Africa in the Autumn Internationals, trailing going into the break but not far behind, but like that match in the second half, we failed to register a single point and against the world’s best that was simply there way back into the match. Johnny Sexton will remember that miss for the rest of his life, but sure enough one kick can not take away from the fact Ireland rarely looked threatening if at all in the second period.

Despite this, what we saw was exactly what we wanted. Ireland responded to the critics. The pride was restored. Lansdowne Road lifted off. Grown men sat in the Aviva and were no doubt close to tears as possible the greatest scalp in Irish sporting history was narrowly taken away. From 1 to 23, every single player stepped out and proved to themselves, a nation and every single rugby fan worldwide that Ireland are good enough. That we can challenge. That the next few years may just give us something magical and that every single kick, try, tackle, lineout and scrum is something to look forward to. Remember the 24th of November 2013. The day that we almost beat the All Blacks. But perhaps the day that Irish Rugby may change for better. Less than 70 days until the Six Nations. The future is green. Bring it on.

I'm Kristian. 19. And my mind is filled with rugby shaped thoughts. Supporting Ulster Rugby, Newcastle Falcons and of course the mighty Ireland. Tommy Bowe is the MAN !!!! SUFTUM.

Let The Schmidt Hit The Fan - Rd 4 (MUN)

We are extremely grateful to Kate McEvoy for bravely taking up the reins for Munster on this project at probably the last time any Irish fan would want to pick a team…

Click these links for the most recent selections from Connacht, Ulster & Leinster.

So this is an unexpectedly painful exercise to undertake. That and I don't actually have a fixture to pick for. The next one up is Scotland on February 2 in our 6 Nations opener but there's a lot of rugby to be played twixt this and then. I have no idea what the form and injury list for our potential squad will be, ditto the opposition.

In my fragile mental state, do I pick the best Ireland team in recent memory in its entirety, while weeping copiously? Do I put together something that's a bit abstract, with players we all think are great but haven't darkened a rugby pitch for quite some time – Stephen Ferris, saviour of the Irish back row for instance? 

Do I throw together a squad composed entirely of callow youths to try and mutter something about building for 2015? I think I'm just going to attempt to out together a starting squad for the 6 Nations. If someone has a long term injury they're out. Other than that it's a bit of a lottery really. Please don't yell at me. I, and the rest of the rugby-loving nation are fragile right now. So let's bond together and get through this difficult time.

1. Cian Healy – Jack McGrath is at the head of the pack of hungry even-younger props snapping at Healy's heels. Kilcoyne's progress seems to have slowed somewhat and James Cronin is another hugely exciting prospect who looks set to overhaul him at provincial level. However Church is a nailed on starter for me if fit. Solid in the scrum and fantastic in the loose this weekend, he's one of the premier looseheads out there right now and he's still only 26 so will hopefully be around for a long time to come, certainly still for the next World Cup. To be honest, I'd put him in there for this alone. Poetry.
2. Sean Cronin – Rory Best was desperately unfortunate on Saturday. After a strong start including bagging a try against the Kiwis for the scrapbook he was forced off with a broken arm. It remains to be seen whether he'll be fit for the 6 Nations, and if so, how much rugby he'll have played up until that point. So best wishes for a speedy recovery but it's Nugget who starts at hooker. The front row who thinks he's a centre brings great lines and pace in the loose but his throwing is often his achilles heel. He was solid with the darts on Saturday but if I had my way he and every hooker in Ireland would be relentlessly drilled until February because it's unacceptable that the key skill in a hooker's arsenal is often shaky from Irish proponents of the position. I'm enjoying the return of hooking under the new scrum laws and hope to see more of it as the season continues.
3. Marty Moore – This is a tough call on Ross as he was as good as I've seen him in years. However I'm dying to see Moore get tested at this level and despite a fantastic day at the office, Ross seems to have struggled under the new scrum laws and has frankly, been ploughing a playing trough this season, up until this weekend. Declan Fitzpatrick kept the ship steady on his introduction but he's injury prone and not a selection with future building in mind. Plus if I'm totally wrong and it all goes tits up Mike Ross is on the bench to steady the ship. Hopefully this weekend was a sign he's cracked these new scrum laws!
4. Paul O'Connell – I think he can call too much ball on himself for a relatively poor return but he is, quite simply, a test-match animal. His work rate and leadership are peerless and those Pinergy ads are hilarious. Word on the street is he was an absolute beast in training this week and we saw the results on the pitch. He dominated the set pieces and showed utter commitment. Henderson is the up and comer for this position and will have a long and hopefully fruitful career with Ireland, if he can remain injury free after tweaking a hamstring on his return from injury for Ulster over the weekend. However I'm not ready for the king to leave the building just yet.
5. Dan Tuohy – Toner certainly left Lansdowne Road with his reputation greatly enhanced and I'm delighted for him and I think he's a player who's often judging with unnecessary harshness. However he did fumble one or two restarts and I still do find his carrying occasionally unconvincing for a man of his size, even for taking account his unusual proportions, which must be a nightmare to shop for. This is a bit of a selfish selection to be honest but I really want to see Tuohy get a crack. He's played out of his skin in the past without selection and I admire his ferocity and his carrying. McCarthy has looked unfit for Leinster, like he's carrying a few extra kilos that don't suit him. That will hopefully change by February, and Donnacha Ryan will hopefully be back in the mix as he is due to return from his knee injury by Christmas but as I am not in possession of a crystal ball this is what I'm going with.
6. Peter O'Mahony – For a man who keeps a regularly low personal media profile he's all anyone ever seems to talk about. The main complaint is that he's a faux-hardman with puzzles me a bit. Last time I checked it's not ideal to have a player in your squad who goes around throwing haymakers and getting sent off. So do we want him decking people? The world has enough Jamie Cudmores (one is plenty). He's a tough player who gets in his opponents' faces, largely without getting penalized. How is this not a good thing? He evidently has leadership qualities which are needed among the new generation and he's a quality footballer. I dislike Frankie “my client” Sheahan's attitude to pushing his players as much as the next guy but he's good and he's staying. Moving on
7. Sean O'Brien – There are not enough superlatives for how good he was against New Zealand. The IRFU should move heaven and earth to keep him in the country. I will start a fund if people are willing to chip in. I'd be open to moving O'Brien to 6 with Henry starting at 7. However, there's Henry's hamstring injury to consider as well as my own personal views on backrow selection, which I had a minor raw with my father about during a prematch brunch. I don't think a traditional back row selection is automatically the best option for any team. It depends on the options you have. O'Brien may have not started out as your typical ground hog style 7 but his jackling and breakdown work is superb. He dominated one of the best opensides of all time at the weekend. Some call our backrow unbalanced. I'd rather go for nontraditional. That doesn't make it bad or wrong it just means using the resources you have to best effect rather than moaning about genuine opensides, which is a phrase that I would happily never hear again. Looking forward to Tommy O'Donnell returning from injury and in the mix too. But O'Brien for president
8. Jamie Heaslip – Heaslip is another player who gets a lot of flak – particularly from supporters in red – which is to say Munster, to my chagrin, and the Welsh. Unlike O'Mahony, he does have a high media profile and this seems to rub people up the wrong way. Which is frankly ridiculous because he consistently performs to a high level, is remarkably durable on the injury front and Bear does delicious steaks. He also donated €50 to Daddy's Mc's Movember effort last year which doesn't seem like the actions of “an absolute knob” (© Conor George) to me. To sum up, he gets a great deal of unfair character assassination and is often surprisingly underrated as a player with such a huge list of achievements. He's my number 8
9. Conor Murray – In the heat of the moment, I did threaten to leave the upper east stand and go pitchside to break Murray's ankle if he box kicked the ball again. However, on mature reflection, the tactic was largely successful, albeit frustrating for the spectator and was clearly part of Schmidt's game-plan. I'm not interested in giving out to a player for doing what he was told. That aside, Murray had a great game and Reddan, previously his closest competitor for the spot, didn't do himself any favours against the Wallabies. Then again, who did? Hard to believe it was a mere 8 days before the performance that followed. I'm sure Reddan would have upped his game and he and Boss have an incredible degree of experience but I'd like to see the administration looking at Marmion for the bench spot, who urgently needs to be capped lest the Welsh swoop in. Paul Marshall is of course also in the mix.
10. Jonny Sexton Overworked, overpaid and over there? Only two out of those three are true. His body has been put through the mill in a high impact season with Racing where he's already played an awful lot of rugby. I've seen an awful lot of Sexton-bashing since the match and his missed kick but that is incredibly unfair. Of any player out there, Sexton will be harder on himself than anyone could imagine and he is our best outhalf. It remains to be seen how he'll come back from this both physically and psychologically. I would have Paddy Jackson as my reserve. Madigan didn't do a lot wrong when he came on, even though he did miss a tackle against Crotty for that decisive try, but Jackson has been the form of the two so far this season and has certainly proven the naysayers wrong both against Samoa and with Ulster.
11. Craig Gilroy – Wings are tricky. With Keith Earls and Simon Zebo both due back by Christmas and McFadden hopefully recovered from his hand injury, I hope to have a competitive pool of fit and in form wingers to chose from come February. Gilroy is still somewhat short on game time but with two tries on his debut and a lack of fit competitors I've slotted him in. I would very much like to see more of the Belfast-born speedster in green.
12. Luke Marshall – Darcy was immense at the weekend but it did have the feel of a one off performance and I find him frustratingly inconsistent for a player of his experience. Marshall still has a long way to go in my opinion but deserves the slot. Although he was the main source of line breaks against the Wallabies he seems a little short on ideas when he makes a break and more often than not runs into the man in front of him rather than looking to pass or step. Partially inexperience, partially due to lack of support. He's currently the the frame at 12 but I'd like to see more of Munster's Ivan Dineen at Heineken Cup level as I think he's one to consider for the future of the position. Extremely tough on Stuart Olding to be ruled out with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament as he would have certainly challenged among the the young guns.
13. Brian O'Driscoll – Part of me would love to drop O'Driscoll for his own personal safety. How many knocks to the head can one man take without serious long term medical consequences? I also feel slightly less anxious about the future of 13 after Luke Fitzgerald's strong display, but of course, that would depend on him being injury free for more than one game at a time! My understanding is that Jared Payne will be Irish qualified in 2014 but not until alter in the year. Robbie Henshaw is undoubtedly a real talent but has looked somewhat out of his depth at this level so far. Brian's still the man to don the jersey he's made his own, despite not having been as his sparkling best this season but no one could accuse him of not putting his body as well as his heart and soul on the line for Ireland.
14. Dave Kearney – Again, he'll certainly be challenged by the Munster duo upon their return to fitness but Kearney the younger has done more than enough to oust Bowe from his starting spot at this point. It may seem like sacrilege to drop the Monaghan man, one of Ireland's greatest ever finishers but he was anonymous against both Samoa and Australia and hasn't convinced me he deserves to stay as the nailed on starter he's been for so long. Kearney bragged a brace on his debut and has played out of his skin to deserve his place in the squad on his own merits. Tiernan O'Halloran also worth keeping an eye on.
15. Rob Kearney – Utterly majestic this weekend, looking like he's stepped straight out of 2009. Madigan or Henshaw could certainly challenge him but right now it looks like boys against the main man. Hoping this is the start of a renaissance for the IRUPA chairman. His communication with the players around him was excellent and he really stepped forward to take on media duties at what must have surely been a low ebb. A real leader on the team

 

1. Cian Healy
2. Sean Cronin
3. Martin Moore
4. Paul O'Connell
5. Dan Tuohy
6. Peter O'Mahony
7. Sean O'Brien
8. Jamie Heaslip
9. Conor Murray
10. Johnny Sexton
11. Craig Gilroy
12. Luke Marshall
13. Brian O'Driscoll
14. Dave Kearney
15. Rob Kearney

16. Mike Sherry
17. Mike Ross
18. Jack McGrath
19. Devin Toner
20. Kevin McLaughlin
21. Kieran Marmion
22. Paddy Jackson
23. Luke Fitzgerald

So that's it. If one thing comes out of this weekend I hope it's that we build towards the 6 Nations and are no longer a team of glorious, backs-against-the-wall once-offs and aim for a consistent future.

Kate McEvoy : Munster fan in a sea of Leinster blue. Raised on a strict diet of Bective Rangers. Earliest childhood memory is stud marks in the muck. Former hooker for a father & a mother with an eye for a forward pass bordering on freakish . Best rugby memory, Toulouse main square, May 24^th2008. Epitaph will read “Knew a lot about rugby for a girl.” Can be found tweeting optimistically at @ImKateMc

Treviso-20 Leinster-21

Click here to watch back on the match via TG4 player

SHOE ON THE OTHER FOOT

Granted it’s a bit of a stretch comparing this match to what went on at the Aviva at the same time, but hear me out - a club well used to success was playing at the home of a team wearing green who ended up on the losing side not for the first time but will feel like they should have won?

OK…maybe it’s more than a bit of a stretch but hopefully I can be forgiven for still having that heart-breaking-yet-epic test match on my mind!

But we’re not here to talk about that; whatever about the insanity of the scheduling, there were Pro12 points to be won at the Stadio di Monigo and Leinster got away with four of them…just.  I am sure you’re in no mood for another long writeup so I have tried to cut my opinions down to some key headings.

THE TRIES

There were four on the day, and none of them were pretty to look at especially if you’re a defensive coach.

Leinster raced into a 12-point lead after just 15 minutes - Lote Tuqiri providing the finish after some good work from Ruddock, Reid and Hudson though it has to be said Treviso full-back Brendan Williams’ attempt to stop our winger going over was flimsy at best.

The defence got worse for the second try..more good work from Ruddock and Dominic Ryan at the breakdown won us the ball in a good position and I honestly couldn’t tell you what the Italian midfield were thinking as Noel Reid literally strolled through to touch down.

Williams made up for things somewhat with a run from his own 22 to hand off to Nitoglia who scored but the Worst Attempted Tackles Of the Day award sadly must go to both John Cooney and Noel Reid as they did so.

The best try was saved until last and it was much more conventional phase play that created the space for Esposito to bring the home side level in the second half but even in this case there were question marks over Tuqiri’s coverage.

SPEAKING OF LOTE…

Word has it an extension is being mooted for Tuqiri with Leinster.  Would that help Leinster?  For me, the answer to that question lies in whether or not we would play him in the Heineken Cup.  The Aussie made some very good runs with the ball during this match, that cannot be denied.  But his coverage and tackling was well off the way I saw it.  Twice in the first half he fluffed tackles after chasing down our own restart.  Even with McFadden injured, Lote would not only be behind D Kearney and Luke as wing options, but also At Mary’s duo Fanning and Hudson for that 23 jumper.  Fanning’s catch of a high ball shortly after having his head accidentally smashed did it for me and would provide with more value for money.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT JIMMY

The headlines read “Gopperth penalty wins match for Leinster”.  Some of the previews I read before Sunday suggested he has been “superb” for us so far this season.  I disagree…he has done some superb things, and he did some more in Treviso, but on the day he was out-played by Mat Berquist and made a few errors throughout the match, as he has done at other times when we were fortunate to come out on top.  I’m not saying we should be rid of him by a long, long chalk, and I’m not pro-Madigan on account of his nationality, but I do feel Ian needs to start this weekend AND put in a full 80 if possible to see if he can be in the frame to face Northampton.

THE LEINSTER BACK ROW 2.0

Of course I am praying like everyone else that Sean O’Brien and Jamie Heaslip don’t follow Sexton to France.  What I will say however is that in Rhys Ruddock, Dominic Ryan and Jordi Murphy we may very well have the best second string back row on the continent.  For me, they won us this match, and I would give Man of the Match to Rhys, though Ryan forced several key turnovers and Jordi though a sub, won the penalty which actually put us ahead for good.

ELSEWHERE IN THE PACK

More often than not the scrum was a good platform, though I’m dead set against this practise of rolling the ball in and hoping our shove will bring the ball back…hook the bloody thing!  Roux seems to be coming on as a lineout option, and can I take this opportunity to congratulate Martin Moore for an extremely well-deserved Player of the Month award.

TACTICS

As the wins keep coming it gets harder to question Matt O’Connor but having gotten two early tries in broken play thanks to defensive frailties in the Treviso backline, I have to wonder why we reverted to the bashing every time we got the ball in more controlled circumstances.  At least test the back line first?  Our repeated failure to get over the line (though granted we got damn close a few times) helped give the home side the confidence to first claw back from 12 pts down to 2, then from 8 down to a 2-pt lead.

***

We seemed to do everything we could to give the Italians the chance to pinch this one at the end, and the same can be said for other occasions we have won this season. 

But hey - all things considered, seven wins and one draw from ten matches is a pretty damn good record for Matt O’Connor  to lead off with…here’s hoping he can keep up the pace. JLP

 

Also this weekend…

Ulster 41 - 17 Edinburgh

Glasgow 8 - 23 Dragons

Ospreys 30 - 20 Zebre

Connacht 21 - 24 Scarlets

Cardiff Blues 10 - 31 Munster

	TEAM	PLD	PTS	W	PD	T	PF	TD
1	MUNSTER	8	31	7	75	20	194	13
2	OSPREYS	8	27	5	77	22	228	11
3	LEINSTER	8	26	5	35	17	186	5
4	GLASGOW	8	25	6	11	11	121	6
5	ULSTER	8	25	5	62	18	177	9
6	SCARLETS	8	20	4	5	12	152	-1
7	NG DRAGONS	8	18	4	8	11	149	-2
8	CARDIFF BLUES	8	14	3	-33	10	158	-9
9	EDINBURGH	8	12	3	-87	12	132	-13
10	TREVISO	8	12	2	-22	11	140	-7
11	ZEBRE	8	8	1	-68	14	150	-6
12	CONNACHT	8	7	1	-63	10	117	-6

 

NB - after “matches played”, stats on the table are listed from left to right in order of priority

 

Next matches

Fri 29 Ospreys v Glasgow, Liberty Stadium 19:00

Fri 29 Dragons v Munster, Rodney Parade 19:15

Fri 29 Edinburgh v Connacht, Murrayfield 19:45

Sat 30 Zebre v Ulster, Stadio XXV Aprile 14:00

Sat 30 Benetton Treviso v Cardiff Blues, Stadio Comunale di Monigo 16:00

Sat 30 Leinster v Scarlets, Royal Dublin Society 19:15