CLEARED FOR TAKE-OFF Ireland’s Brian O’Driscoll is caught by the desperate tackle of France’s David Marty during the RBS Six Nations game at Stade De France last Saturday. Pic: Sportsfile
A step in the right direction
Gavin Duffy
‘SO near but yet so far’ seems to be the phrase adopted by the majority who observed Ireland’s thrilling but ultimately failed comeback against France in Paris last Saturday. It was a game of two halves if ever there was one.
There wasn’t too much optimism amongst followers of Eddie O’Sullivan’s men ahead of Ireland’s latest venture into the French capital. For many punters, the scars of the World Cup were still all too evident in the 16-11 defeat of the Italians on the opening day of this year’s Six Nations Championship.
After a bright start that culminated in Girvan Dempsey’s well-worked try, the home side gifted the Azzurri some breathing space by failing to capitalise on further try-scoring opportunities, with handling errors and ill discipline proving costly at crucial times. The Italians, to their credit, slowed much of Ireland’s ruck ball to a standstill, allowing their powerful front five forwards to become more prominent as the game tightened up and resulted in Martin Castrogiovanni being driven over the whitewash following a catch and drive seven metres out from Ireland’s line. Ronan O’Gara and Bortolussi exchanged penalties after that but Ireland hung onto their five point advantage to the final whistle. It may not have been pretty, but a win it was nonetheless. That was ultimately the most important thing.
I had been part of the Ireland A side that had played England in Leicester on the Friday night before the clash at Croke Park. Despite leading 10-8 at the break, we disappointingly conceded three second half tries as constant defending – we made over 190 tackles – eventually took its toll. The final scoreline was 33-13. I spent Saturday night at home in Galway, missing the senior game after spending the day travelling due to delayed flights and missed onward connections. Johnny O’Connor and myself then rejoined the extended squad of 33 that regrouped in Killiney on the Sunday for the build-up to the French game.
The Italian game is always very physical, so the lads were still nursing bumps and bruises early on in the week. As a result, the non-starting 15 did a fitness session on Monday morning while the team did a recovery/fitness session. Weights and meetings filled the afternoon while the forwards also worked on their lineout options. The team to travel to Paris was announced on Tuesday morning so those not involved were free to return to training with their provinces for the remainder of the week.
With no Magners League game for the past couple of weeks, the focus with Connacht has been on topping up the fitness levels and skills. The lads have been working hard and hopefully we will reap the benefits and rewards for the remainder of the season. We have a big task ahead of us in trying to qualify for the Heineken Cup, but it’s a challenge we can overcome if we can sustain our level of performance over 80 minutes, starting with the Ospreys away on Saturday evening. The Magners League resumes next weekend due to a weekend break in the Six Nations.
JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED
A WEEKEND off may be just what the Irish team needs in order to fully recover from a physically and emotionally draining match in the Stade de France. Just like in 2006 and 2007, these two sides produced a rollercoaster of a game that twisted and turned, but unfortunately from an Irish perspective, ultimately drew to the same conclusion. A French victory.
RTÉ’s match commentators, Ryle Nugent and Tony Ward, hoped the funereal rendition of ‘Ireland’s Call’ was not a sign of things to come. But with 46 minutes played and with Ireland having to trudge back to behind their own posts for the fourth time following a Cedric Heymens try that stretched the home team’s lead to 26-6, they would have been forgiven for fearing the worst.
It must have been frustrating out on the pitch for Brian O’Driscoll and Co. It wasn’t as if they were playing badly, or that the French had piled on the pressure to produce their four tries. Yet they still found themselves 20 points in arrears. Turnovers and a lucky bounce of a ball led to three of those tries. The fourth was, in all fairness, well-worked and finished by the French three-quarters, who were proving a handful with their blistering pace.
As has been said in the aftermath, lesser teams and weaker individuals would have packed up, blamed everyone else and, with a shrug of the shoulders, slouched off home. But as frustrating as it might be to see this Irish team fail to live up to expectations on occasion, they can never be accused of lacking effort, heart or of throwing in the towel when their backs are to the wall.
Shunning penalty kicks at goal, Ronan O’Gara kicked to the corners and looked to take the game to the French with the ball in hand. The forwards, growing in stature as the game wore on, were rewarded for their dominance at scrum time when referee Nigel Owens awarded a penalty try as the French pack continually infringed when being shunted backwards five metres towards their own goal-line. There was more than just pride at stake now and with the French floundering, David Wallace crashed over to narrow the gap to eight. O’Gara kicked a penalty and the onslaught continued. The home side were now against the ropes, but were ultimately saved by the bell as Owens finally brought this absorbing contest to an end when a chip through ran dead.
It was disappointing to hear the final whistle blow. Ireland had played 32 minutes of the 47 minutes played in the second half in their opponents’ half of the pitch. Some will feel the French took their foot off the gas and that they weren’t helped by the changes made by head coach Marc Lievremont. But that is not doing justice to this much improved Irish performance. The French struggled in the second half because Ireland were more physical and looked after the ball for longer periods than they did in the first 40 minutes. This team is nothing if not honest, however. They will still quickly recognise and acknowledge that there is a lot more room for improvement, but certainly this was a step in the right direction.
