Ireland take on Wales in what could potentially be the most important game of the Six Nations tomorrow. Will Ireland come out on top? Two JOEs argue the toss.
Conor Heneghan says… If we rewound the clock back five or six years and Ireland found themselves in the situation they currently find themselves in the Six Nations, then there would be a lot of optimism surrounding our prospects of success in the competition.
An unspectacular but very solid showing against the Scots, with another home tie offering the chance to build momentum and none of the supposed main challengers setting the world alight in their opening salvos, one would think that a Championship is there for the taking. Hell, let’s not stop there, why not a Grand Slam while we’re at it?
Irish fans of any sport don’t like to get too carried away, however and the experiences of the last few years have taught Irish rugby fans to be cautious; it’s the hope that kills you after all. If the shoe was on the other foot, you can pretty much guarantee that the Welsh support would be getting mighty excited and their players would feed off it.
Cocky suits Wales and if they escape from Dublin with a win then there’s an excellent chance they’ll carry that momentum on to win what would be an unprecedented third Six Nations Championship on the trot.
But I don’t think they’ll win and while it won’t be easy, I would be quite bullish about Ireland’s chances. Why? Granted there’s not an awful lot to go on from last week and a lot of the outlook would be based on what Ireland produced against the All-Blacks in November. But I sense a good vibe from the current Ireland set-up under Joe Schmidt and while they’re not shouting out about Championships and Grand Slams from the rooftops, there appears to be a quiet confidence there all the same.
The buzz-words that keep creeping out about Ireland under Schmidt are ‘detail’ and ‘accuracy’ and certainly Ireland seemed to get the basics right last weekend. Defence was good, the scrum was solid and the lineout, which can only improve with Paul O’Connell coming back, was also above par.
Jonathan Sexton looked completely in control of things at 10 and of all the backs, Rob Kearney played with plenty of purpose. Peter O’Mahony and Jamie Heaslip had great outings in green, ditto Cian Healy. Scotland’s lack of impact in comparison to the big threat, both literally and figuratively, posed by Wales must be taken into account, but it’s not as if Ireland won’t be clued in. These two sides are well familiar with one another and that familiarity has bred, if not quite contempt, an edge that could be classified as a level above healthy.
If Ireland are lacking anything, it’s a little bit of an X Factor. Sean O’Brien would make it into any team in the world and is a huge loss and though dependable, the likes of Dave Kearney and Andrew Trimble might not give you what, for example, Simon Zebo and Luke Fitzgerald might provide.
That said, the weather mightn’t allow for anything too fancy and if anything it would appear to play into Wales’ hands if their big bruisers are going to continuously run at Ireland and force our lads into making tackle after energy-sapping tackle, with Leigh Halfpenny on hand to punish us with his boot whenever we step out of line.
While acknowledging the Welsh threat, they weren’t that great against Italy and it’ll take a much improved performance to avenge last year’s reverse at the Millennium Stadium. Should Ireland start tomorrow’s game even half as well as they did last year, then the platform will be set and I fancy them to go on and finish the job afterwards.
Tony Cuddihy says… Let’s not take away from a thoroughly professional performance against Scotland or the fact that Joe Schmidt looks to be instilling much of the confidence that drained away from Irish international rugby the longer that Declan Kidney’s reign went on.
They’re a side on the up.
However, my gut feeling goes with Wales to come away with a victory at the Aviva tomorrow, spawning meme after Facebook meme of a dejected Jonny Sexton with a plaintive ‘It’s the hope that kills you’ writ large underneath.
Wales are notoriously slow starters when it comes to the Six Nations and will have been glad to have opened against Italy last weekend.
Warren Gatland’s side were no great shakes in their first showing of this year’s Championship but will be far more motivated against an Irish side boasting eight travellers on last summer’s Lions tour.
There’s also the issue that dare not speak its name, with the worry for the majority of Irish fans that any latent resentment on the part of Brian O’Driscoll over THAT omission could blunt his influence over the penultimate game for his country on home soil.
Were this a Hollywood script, O’Driscoll would stand loftily over Gatland’s vanquished torso on the Lansdowne Road turf before letting off a Johnny Drama-style cry of ‘VICTORY’ to his adoring thousands.
This isn’t, though, and the sobering prospect of insult added to insult awaits O’Driscoll and his team-mates after a spirited 75 minutes of just…about…clinging on to a lead.
You can just see it. The returning Sam Warburton urging his side on, and on, in search of that one elusive try to steal victory out of the jaws of defeat. The drive for the line. The red tide. The dubious call. The TMO. The 79th minute. And the heartbreak.
There are only so many gallant failures that the Irish fans can take before the crushing spectre of realism creeps in. We could take no more after the doom of the loss to New Zealand, but more heartbreak awaits tomorrow.
There’s always hope, but that’s what kills you in the end.
