A short 6 nations review and the summer tour preview

The RBS six nations will probably be forgotten by must Irish rugby supporters very quickly but for the management it is critical they learn from these last five matches.

Even do it is one of the most disappointing  seasons which included one of the worst defeats in the professional area it was defined by a few major calls by referees. Ireland could well have been going for a Grand Slam against an extremely lucky England side on Saturday only for a terrible decision against Stephen Ferris in the opening game.

The Positives:


Keith Earls

Keith Earls had a solid campaign and considering Darcy was well below his best it was good to see Earls put in a good showing in the four games he played in.

Stephen Ferris


Brent Pope once said he could see Ferris in a black shirt, which is probably the greatest complement a player can receive. He reminds of Keith Wood who also had no regard for his own safety. We need to wrap this guy in cotton wool and unleash him in September 2015.

Rob Kearney

Kearney along with Halfpenny and Israel Dagg are the best fullbacks in the world. He took games by the scruff of the neck and lead the Irish backs in all the games. I wont even mention his ability under the high ball.

Negatives:


Gordan Darcy

A great servant but his form has dropped of again from the world cup and was very lucky to keep his place throughout the tournament. His best years are definitely behind him.

Jamie Heaslip

A slight improvement against England but was outplayed by his opposite number in all 5 games of this years championship. Is it simply the balance of the back row that is root of his poor form or something deeper?

Declan Kidneys Selection

I think everybody was disappointed he left Donnacha Ryan on the bench for so long, never tried a Ferris O Mahony O Brien combination and persisted with Darcy at 12. He does deserve credit for trying O Gara at 10 and Sexton at 12 but surely that should have been tried before the World Cup considering O Garas age. 

Three things to remember:


The great English side of 2003 only ever won one Grands slam.

In 2003 when England won the world cup they had only two teams in the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup and none in the Semi Finals.

The most important thing for 2012 is that were in top 8 of the IRB rankings come the end of September.

Summer Tour


The summer tour is a good chance to do a little bit of experimenting because sadly what ever team we do put out we will probably lose to New Zealand whereas in November it is critical we get two wins so there is little room for tinkering then.

My team V New Zealand Saturday 9th of June

R. Keanrey
T. Bowe
K.Earls
B.O.Driscoll
A.Trimble
J.Sexton
C.Murray
C.Healy
S.Cronin
M.Ross
D.Ryan
P.O.Connell
S.O.Brien
P.O.Mahony
J.Heaslip

T.Court
D.Varley
S.Archer
D.Tuoghy
R.Ruddock
P.Marshall
I.Madigan
S.Zebo

......and the debate/abuse begins.

I think the main talking point in the backs is obviously the inclusion of BOD but I think he could really create  room for the outside backs provide leadership and sure up the defence. It would be great to see Keith Earls work of some of does offloads and Johnny Sexton try his famous loop move with Drico outside him.In the front row I'd leave Rory Best at home for the simple reason we have so much depth in the hooker position we need to decide which candidates are able to step up to International rugby. There are doubts about Cronins throwing but there is only one way to find out if he can handle the pressure and that's by putting him in the deep end. I think Varley has been very solid all season for Munster and the summer tour gives him a good opportunity to taste international rugby.  I think we have to give O Mahony a run at 7 and why not do it against the best in the world? I would also give Ferris the summer of due to his injury history.  I would put Archer on the bench because like all tight heads he needs experience and also there isn't many others around. Tuoghy has been fantastic all year for Ulster and has been very unlucky to be considered 5/6 choice by the management. Having Paul Marshall and Ian Madigan on the bench may be risky but I think its worth the gamble. Both men have proven they can make an impact from the bench for their provinces and it would be a great experience for the duo. I would love to see Madigan play with Sexton at 12 as they could share the kicking duties and allow Madigan to express himself just like Copper and Barnes for Australia except without the back yard spectaculars. Simon Zebo has been electric for Munster since December and is now the form winger playing in Ireland at the moment. Yes there are concerns over his defence/concentration but his ability to finish is nearing world class. He is also a strong ball carrier and like Rob Kearney has a massive left boot.

Thanks for your time.



 

A new dawn?

Ireland 42 Italy 10

Ireland stormed to one of their biggest six nations wins ever. Paul O Connell gave a captains performance for from the second row while Bowe, Ferris , Kearney and Johnny Sexton gave fine displays. 

While watching the first half I was surprised Ireland didn't play for more position inside the Italians 22. Any time Rob Kearney and Bowe got the ball in hand they looked like scoring. Ireland spent a lot of time battering away around the half way line, maybe it was a tactical decision from Kidney who is slowly turning to an expansive game plan. At half time Ireland lead 17 10 with tries from Bowe and Earls. After half time the Italians inevitably began to tire and with Botes inability to kick for touch their game fell apart. Eoin reddan and Donnacha Ryan were introduced and livened up the proceedings immediately. Tommy Bowe scored in the corner after exquisite hands from Johnny Sexton. A visibly fired up Tom Court rumbled over for the 4 try and Andrew Trimble struck from distance late on to secure the 5th try. Immediately after the final whistle the topic of discussion was selection for the French game.

 The debate mainly surrounded the number 4, 9 and 13 positions. Donnacha Ryan has really turned up the heat on O Callaghan, who was below par again. Eoin Reddan definitely speeded up the game when he came on albeit the Italians resolve had well and truly cracked. I think Murray done enough to hold onto his place. It is always tougher against the Italians for the first 60 minutes then the last 20 minutes. He is still developing an understanding with Johnny Sexton and it must be remembered this is only there 4th start together as a partnership. Reddan always stroke me as an impact player, a role he often plays for Leinster away from home in the Heineken Cup for Leinster away from home. Switching Tommy Bowe and Keith Earls might be considered to counter act Alien Rougerie but as we will see against Scotland Frances two wingers aren't exactly journey men and can't be ignored. I think due to Bowes fantastic form at 14 and Earls heartening display at 13 the switch will not be made. Earls and Darcy done very well at the Aviva and could form a strong partnership. The one change I would make for the French game is Ryan for O Callaghan as he speeds up the breakdown and is a very good ball carrier. The breakdown will be the key area against the French next week

Positives:

Rob Kearney is looking like him old self and is really leading the Irish backline in O Drisscols absence.

Johnny Sexton gave a fantastic kicking display and is finally nailing down the number 10 shirt.

Peter O Mahony made his Irish debut and had a solid 20 minutes at number 7.

Negatives:

Gordan Darcy went of injured with an arm injury which would be a major blow to Irelands chances in Paris if he is ruled out for next week. 

Sean O Brien is a player of immense quality but for some reason can not get his running game going for Ireland like he does week in week out for Leinster. He also gave away 3 penalty's.

Man of the Match: Declan Kidney gave a great display, used his bench early gave Bowe a run at 13, Sexton at 12 and gave decent game time to O Mahony, Cronin and Court. 

I was very impressed with Stuart Lancasters England, they were very unlucky not to grab at least a draw in the triple crown decider. England's midfield of Farrell Barrit and Tuilagi took the game to the Welsh physically. Farrell looks like he has all the qualities to be an international 10. He was unlucky to be injured when attempting his final kick before going off as it could have put the game beyond Wales. Wales will be pleased to get out with a win which looked unlikely with 10 minutes to go especially after Roberts went of injured. The one worry for Gatland will be the form of Rhys Priestland since the World Cup. He got a silly yellow card, missed touch from penalties three times and gave away what could have been a crucial penalty.  Over all it looks like the a French v Wales Grandslam showdown on Paddies weekend.

Thanks for Reading!

Irish team selection

After the disaster of Saturday night the dust is beginning to settle on what was an embarrassing episode for the 6 nations and the French rugby union. The match has been re fixed for Sunday the 3rd of March. I see this as a blessing in disguise as it gives Ireland a chance to build a little momentum for the French game. I don't buy the players will be fatigued, they played 5 games on the bounce in New Zealand. It also presents the ever so conservative Declan Kidney a chance to experiment. If I was to select an Irish team there would be a few personnel and positional changes.

15) Rob Kearney
14) Andrew Trimble
13) Tommy Bowe
12) Fergus McFadden
11) Keith Earls
10) Johnny Sexton
9) Connor Murray
8) Sean O Brien
7) Peter O Mahony
6) Stephen Ferris
5) Paul O Connell
4) Donnacha Ryan
3) Mike Ross
2) Sean Cronin
1) Cian Healy

I would not say I am dropping Darcy, Heaslip, O Callaghan and Best. I just think Cronin, Ryan and O Mahony would allow us to play a more expansive game. At the moment the Irish team are struggling at ruck time and struggling to make linebreaks. On current form are lineout is as good as any in the world so I would have no worries about Cronin. He has done well in an unsettled Leinster pack.Cronin is as quick as any Irish winger and nearly makes a line break in every match he plays, Irelands problem for years is making linebreaks. The majority of are tries are coming from set pieces,this makes the Irish backline very easy to defend, especially without a James Downey or Jamie Roberts type centre. O Mahony and Ryan have been fantastic for Munster this season. O Mahony is probably are best option as an out and out 7. He is also a very secure lineout jumper at the tail. I think if Ireland are to play the game the fans grave we need to take the calculated gamble. Ryan is cut from the Quinlann/ Leamy cloth and adds an extra bite to any pack he plays with. He has also played a lot of rugby at 6, this gives him the edge at ruck time over O Callaghan in my opinion. Ireland have are committing too many men at ruck time just to retain are own ball, I believe O Mahony and Ryan could give us the edge at rucktime, speed up the ball and in turn reduce the numbers we need to commit. If Sexton and Murray get quick ball they could be devasting, there is not many halfback pairings in the world who are both capable of making breaks. Tommy Bowe and Sean O Brien are the ball main carriers at the moment. In an ideal world Bowe and O Brien would be coming onto offloads from Cronin, Sexton and Murray who are all capable of breaking the line consistently. Behind the definsive line O Brien and Bowe are virtually unstoppable.

Do I think Deccie will make 4 changes from the Welsh game?no but I would give Ryan and O Mahony an outside chance of starting. At the moment Ireland are trying to play the right game plan with the wrong team.