Well who saw that coming? Pretty much no one in the Irish rugby punditry predicted such a fluid and ruthless demolition of the Pumas on Saturday. Aside from giving Declan Kidney a clear mandate in 2013, it also infuses the Irish rugby public with something we haven't felt seen that euphoric morning when we beat the Wallabies: hope. Where does that leave us at the end of a year that will be remembered more for its disappointments? We asked our Rugby Nerds.
Paddy Logan, Ulster fan/strong>
What a performance. That is what every rugby fan watches the game for. The visceral joy of watching your team play to, or perhaps beyond, the potential you know they possess. It’s a long time since I have smiled so much during a game and it was a welcome respite having endured Ulster’s Great Escape in Italy the night before.
Now there will be some buts, so I just want to make it clear that in my very humble opinion this was a fantastic performance where pretty much everything I could have hoped for occurred. So when, as every good coach would do, I look at opportunities for improvement, I wouldn’t want anyone thinking I was being overly negative.
First the good stuff. The coaching staff deserve credit for not only selecting Gilroy (you could argue that the young Ulster flyer had given them no choice) but for instigating a game plan that insisted on giving him the ball at every opportunity. Check out the stats: he received the ball 14 times (I suspect most of that was in the first half) compared to 15 for D’Arcy and only 10 for Earls. The whole team was bought into this. So much so that at one point in the first half, the once more magnificent Cian Healy, 10 yards out chose to pass it to Gilroy rather than put the head down and go for the line. The impact of this gameplan was so devastating that the Pumas were blown away within 20 minutes and the irish rugby public was left wondering who had spiked their Guinness.
Gilroy, of course, was terrific, hitting the line with electric pace, dazzling feet, spinning out of tackles and gaining ground like Bangor’s answer to Walter Payton. But for the aimless kick to touch on the full, he would have been getting 10 out of 10 in the (pointless) post match ratings. Whatever pay deal Ryan Constable and Bryn Cunningham secured for him with Ulster last week, you can be sure it’s nowhere near enough judging by the excitement of the crowd every time he touched the ball. We Ulster folk are well accustomed to this buzz and will be intrigued to see how Anscombe deals with his wing three-quarter selection conundrum come the crunch meeting with Northampton in a fortnight’s time.
Sexton gave the performance to justify his Lions front-runner tag. This was the Jonny we saw against Northampton in the Heineken Cup Final 18 months ago, barking instructions to Murray as to when to give it to the piano shifters and demanding the ball when something was on. Whilst it’s easy to say ‘give it Gilroy’ it takes a world class 10 to present it so precisely. With a couple of notable exceptions his kicking from hand and tee was as good as ever and his pass to put Zebo away was sumptuous doing full justice to Murray’s magic flick from the base of the ruck.
Which is my cue for a double helping of humble pie. Murray will never be my type of scrum-half: for me it’s all about the pass. But he had a blinder. His passing in the first quarter was particularly sharp, exactly what Sexton requires to set the scintillating outside backs free. Other than a couple of uncharacteristically poor box-kicks, he really looked the business and will probably be the biggest mover in the Lions charts this week. If he can maintain that standard when the armchair ride is not so comfortable, he’ll really deserve to be Ireland’s first choice pivot.
Elsewhere in the backs, D’Arcy again justified his selection over the youthful challengers with a prefect defensive performance and several notable breaks including the one that put Sexton away for his first try. Bowe gave another virtuoso performance causing massive problems for the Pumas everytime he entered the line and competing for Garryowens with his usual aplomb. Zebo did well again in his temporary role at full-back.
The pack was excellent again. They bested the much vaunted Argentine 8 in the scrum where, despite a quiet performance in the loose, Mike Ross performed strongly for someone who has played so much top class rugby in recent months. Hopefully Joe Schmidt will be more sympathetic and allow him a chance to recover rather than flog him a la Kidney. Healy was magnificent again and must be the surest of Lions starters – he’s a phenomenon. I thought Strauss’ darts were stunningly good enabling the lineout to function better than it has for a long time. Ryan, majestic in the air, was excellent around the park and I really like the look of his partnership with McCarthy.
The backrow comfortably won the contest against their highly-rated opponents despite some random refereeing by the distinctly ordinary Jaco Peyper. Peter O’Mahoney came in for a bit of twitter rage for conceding too many penalties but was justifiably nonplussed by the penalty against him that led to Sanchez’s first attempt on goal. Otherwise he was excellent in the lineout, a nuisance at the breakdown and had some good carries, but I don’t think he has quite the threat with ball in hand of SOB, Ferris or Henderson.
Heaslip was solid if unspectacular and remains our best 8 albeit some way short of his best. Chris Henry, after Gilroy, had the best autumn, seizing his opportunity with aplomb. He was everywhere on Saturday and topped the tackle count. It has been a real pleasure to see his excellent Heineken Cup form translate seamlessly to the next level.
I promised you some buts, and here they come. Earls is a mighty fine rugby player and a dangerous runner, but I am just not convinced that he is an international class 13. He seems lightweight, and whilst a decent enough tackler, gets over-powered too frequently by attackers. The way Hosea Gear shrugged him off to score in Waikato encapsulates his shortcomings in this regard. On Saturday, once again, his passing was not up to scratch and I feel that Kidney has to pick the best player in each position, which at outside centre, in the absence of BOD, means Cave.
My other but is Kidney. I know – harsh given that he masterminded the rout of the Argies, but the replacement policy still seems clueless. Ireland were out of sight after 47 minutes so why not bring on Bent and Henderson so we can have a proper look at them? And what is the point of emptying the bench in the last few minutes other than to award cornflake packet caps? His policy seems pre-ordained and rarely seems to alter according to how a match is progressing. Mike Ross would be exhibit A. Joe Schmidt rarely asks him to play more than 50 – 55minutes yet Kidney, even with the antipodean Messiah on the bench, asks him to do a 70 minute shift [and then asks him to do it in meaningless fixtures to prove his fitness!!] I’ll let someone else deal with ROG because it is becoming painful watching a true legend struggle to recapture his former glories.
So what should we make of Ireland’s Guinness Autumn Series? Better than par I reckon given the unearthing of some real prospects: there is depth in most positions now. We’ve had some false dawns in the last 2 years (England and Australia in particular) so we really shouldn’t get too carried away, but we have at least seen our excellent back division bring the best of their provincial form to the international stage. The win over Argentina means the Kidney regime can prepare for the 6N with less pressure but he won’t secure a contract extension unless Ireland do much better than they have done since 2009.
Who would I start against Wales on 2nd February? If all our best players were available my 22 (23?) would be: Healy, Best, Ross, O’Connell, Ryan, Ferris, SOB, Heaslip, Murray, Sexton, Gilroy, D’Arcy, O’Driscoll, Bowe, Kearney
(Court), Bent, Strauss, McCarthy, Henderson, Reddan, Jackson, Zebo
From those who were available in the Autumn series: Healy, Strauss, Ross, Ryan, McCarthy, Henderson, Henry, Heaslip, Murray, Sexton, Gilroy, D’Arcy, Cave, Bowe, Zebo
(Court), Bent, Cronin, O’Callaghan, O’Mahoney, Reddan, Jackson, Earls
A couple of garbage time tries may have taken the deserved gloss of the scoreboard, but not Ireland's performance against Argentina. A powerful, dominant pack took away the Puma's strengths (e.g. scrum) and played up to their own (lineout), and paved the way for a backline to show its full potential for the first time in a long time. We knew that Zebo, Bowe and Gilroy could could carve open defences, we were just concerned they wouldn't get that opportunity. Thankfully they did, and for me that was primarily down to Johnny Sexton. He wasn't quite Carter-esque but he wasn't far off - Sexton was composed, and in control. He was the quarterback, and he marshalled his 14 team-mates.
Ireland also aided by the opposition. One point we didn't take into account in previewing this game with trepidation was Argenina's fatigue. Sure, they had three months together between the Rugby Championship and November internationals, but they've played a lot of games and travelled tens of thousands of miles. As I think John Inverdale put it at half time, it looked like they'd been out the night before. It would be disingenuous to suggest that this was the only reason Ireland played well, but it would be wrong not to highlight it as a key factor.
While my fellow nerds will no doubt go into the X's and O's of the win, what stood out for me was Ireland's cohesiveness. This team has been stung by criticism for much of this year. The second test in New Zealand aside, they've been the focal point of criticism since St. Patrick's Day. The scrum crumbled in Twickenham, we shifted over 100 points in our first and thirds games in New Zealand, and lacked an attacking threat against the Springboks. I believe the criticism they received united the lads. When Gilroy ran over the first try, 14 others congratulated him - but that was more than a "fair play to the debutante" gesture. When Sexton barrelled over a few minutes later, the same thing happened. When there was a big tackle, or a penalty won, backs were slapped and encouragement was shouted all along. It was a collected performance from a collective unit and it's something that has been missing from Ireland games for a long time. While perhaps the provincial divisions have been overstated at times, it has been a factor for Ireland. Our best players, in recent years, have played better with their clubs than their country. Saturday may have signalled a shift in this, or at least we hope that is the case. A team stung by criticism may have also been united by it.
It's a shame that it couldn't have come sooner, but if we can pick up from here next spring, then Ireland has a great chance for Six Nations success. We've had false dawns before, so that is a big if, and by no means are Ireland the finished product, but for the first time in over a year, Irish fans have a sense in optimism about the national team.
Andy McGeady, Leinster fan/strong>
Winner and Losers: Ireland's Autumn Internationals: a bite-sized summary
WINNERS:
Craig Gilroy: Makes first Ireland debut against Fiji, scores three tries. Makes a second Ireland debut against Argentina. Scores try and lights up the game, showing an ability to beat the first tackler almost at will that has been unseen in the green jersey for a goodly amount of time. And signs a new Ulster contract between the two.
Mike McCarthy: McCarthy is now a very real contender for a starting spot at lock even when Paul O'Connell returns. While without the aerial majesty of the Munsterman, against the Springboks this Connacht Colossus showed a level of mobility and aggression around the park that stirred the soul. Has firmly pushed aside Donncha O'Callaghan in the second row pecking order.
Jonathan Sexton: Magnificent in defence against South Africa, magnificent in attack against Argentina. The confirmation that any Irish out half debate is now firmly put to bed is found when asking oneself when exactly the last time was that the RTE producer said "ok, now cut directly from Sexton to O'Gara in the stands".
Simon Zebo: Playing out of position against two of the top six sides in the world in just his second and third caps, he acquitted himself well. With "long" speed to burn and a willingness to back himself running into space rather than looking for contact, he has put himself firmly in the frame for starting spot in the back three when all options are available for selection.
Chris Henry: Performances of which the open-sides union would be proud. Provided a balance to the back row that must provide some thought to Declan Kidney keeping a proper open-side in the lineup even when the likes of Stephen Ferris and Seán O'Brien are both fully fit.
Declan Kidney: As always, things are rarely so dire or so sweet as they are made seem by the meeja headline writers. Going into the 2013 Six Nations the pressure is now off but without a ready-made replacement lined up it is highly unlikely that Kidney would actually have been sacked had Ireland lost to Argentina. Likewise the stirring performance against the Pumas should not be the equivalent of Kidney saying his three Hail Marys and having his sins forgiven but the pressure, on the surface, will have certainly lifted.
Connacht: Fetu'u Vainikolo. Whoooooosh.
LOSERS:
Ronan O'Gara: If there were even one dissenter in the land who thought that Ronan O'Gara should still be Ireland's starting fly half then this series will have softened their cough. Seemingly on the bench to use as a "closer" (in baseball parlance), his errors against South Africa and Argentina have perhaps fatally undermined that job description. O'Gara is an Irish rugby legend but there are now better, younger alternatives.
Andrew Trimble: His limitations as a player, always apparent, have never stopped his involvement with the Irish setup. And now he has to deal with Craig Gilroy being referred to by the rugby talking heads as "the new Shane Williams".
Tom Court: In his replacement prop thinking for the Autumn series Declan Kidney went for a combination of youthful promise and the promise of the unknown in the shapes of Dave Kilcoyne and Michael Bent. Where this leaves Tom Court is fairly clear; not a man who is central to Ireland's plans for the Six Nations.
John Muldoon: Out for months. In an international that wasn't.
Sean Cronin: Now firmly bumped to third in the Irish list of hookers behind Rory Best and the nouveau-Gael Richardt Strauss. At 26 he is still young by front row standards so has time to develop in the more complete package that he needs to be to stand out at the very top level.
Rugby's Integrity: The decision to award caps, or not, is a valid decision to be taken by a sporting union. In times past this was a decision upon which not too much time was wasted; caps were for matches against the home nations or visits from the southern hemisphere's Big Three. Against anyone else, sorry but you don't count. On the occasion of Fiji's visit to Thomond Park in 2012 the decision to make it a non-capped international played by "Ireland XV" was essentially taken by an insurance company. There's something not quite right about that, especially when it precludes Ireland from the possibilty of playing a full rugby international in the redeveloped Ravenhill in 2015.
Talking points from Ronan Murphy, Munster fan
LEADERSHIP: Ireland were brilliant all over the pitch but the two who embodied the day for me most were Donnacha Ryan and Jonnhy Sexton. Ryan was O'Connell-esque, ruling the lineout, getting around the pitch and even executing a two-on-one for Sexton's second try (here's hoping more backrow options will allow him back into the Munster second row from the flank). But the main man without a doubt was Sexton, every inch the general marshaling his troups. In what may have been his most complete performance in green he controlled the game beautifully, kicked beautifully and ran beautifully. His form will have to fall off a cliff over the next 9 months before anyone else even gets a sniff at the Lions 10 jersey.
HEADS UP RUGBY: Set plays have their place in rugby but it was great to see an Irish team just play the game that was in front of them. This was best exemplified by Zebo's try; Sextons spotted a gap, ran to blind side, collected Murray's flick and Zebo was in.
CRAIG GILROY: Not a bad debut.
WOULD THE REAL IRELAND PLEASE STAND UP: The question that keeps cropping up after any series of Irish matches over the last few seasons is the same; which is the real Ireland rugby team? Is it the the team that got destroyed in Hamilton, ground into the turf in Twickenham and limply allowed Wales win in Dublin. Or, the team that draws in Paris, was unlucky to lose to New Zealand in Christchurch and can tear Argentina to shreds. Rather than being a vindication of Kidney and co Saturdays victory just adds to the confusion. With the talent at their disposal days like Saturday should be the norm not the exception.
HEADACHES: There are some serious selection headaches coming down the line in the Six Nations; but in a good way. Chris Henry has has an excellent series at 7 but Sean O'Brien is back playing. Mike McCarthy was immense but we'll all be hoping Paul O'Connell returns to fitness and Dan Touhy hasn't gone anywhere. Rory Best will return soon for Ulster to challenge Strauss.
And that's before we even look at the backs. It's quite conceivable that Ireland will start the Six Nations without Trimble, Cave, Marshall, O'Malley, Dave Kearney, McFadden, Jones or Zebo even making the Irish bench.
