Donal Lenihan: Ireland's issues are serious. And the clock is ticking for some
A For Photo The On Squad Thursday Ireland Simpson Pose Ucd At The Inpho/henry Pic: Bowl
In a bygone era when both were struggling, former great Tony O'Reilly compared the state of English rugby as "sometimes serious but never desperate", with its Irish counterpart "often desperate, but never serious".
After yet another loss at the death against Australia last Saturday, Steve Borthwick’s charges are in both a serious and desperate state right now. Ireland’s performance in defeat against a New Zealand side in transition has also led to searching questions being asked. That said, Irish rugby is hardly in a desperate situation.
For a side that has enjoyed so much success of late, losing for the third time in our last five Tests has resulted in questions. Is it time for fresh faces to be given their chance? With a number of players in their mid to late 30’s on the bench last Friday, has the time come for Andy Farrell to invest a bit more in the next generation?
In recent times this Irish squad has always responded positively to defeat with a win in the Test that followed. Such is Argentina’s growing stock at the top table of international rugby, retaining our unbeaten record over them in Dublin will be far from straightforward.
In starting all but one of the team that faced New Zealand, Farrell is offering players he trusts the chance bounce back immediately after some very indifferent performances. While struggling to hit top form this season, Jack Crowley didn’t do a whole lot wrong before being hauled off for the final quarter.
Ciarán Frawley’s horror show when introduced was in stark contrast to his Roy of the Rovers impact against South Africa in July and just shows how demanding it can be to grasp control and direct traffic from out half. The inclusion of Sam Prendergast on the bench for this one is a far more revealing call.
Farrell is a huge fan, started him in all three Emerging Ireland games on their recent tour in Bloemfontein and has been waiting for the right time to launch him at this level. Frawley’s failure to grasp his chance last week has forced Farrell’s hand. If Prendergast impresses off the bench, he could well start against Fiji next time out. Change is on the way. That’s why it’s imperative for a number of seasoned campaigners to show their true worth tonight.
With 20 seconds left on the clock reserve hooker Rob Herring fed an Irish lineout with the intent of launching one last attack. Projecting his throw towards the middle, not one Irish forward left the ground leaving Patrick Tuipolotu, the only New Zealander to challenge in the air, to pilfer the ball unopposed.
Ten seconds later, Damian McKenzie kicked it dead and the game was over. It looked as if Herring was playing for the wrong team. That systems failure in the Irish lineout is concerning. At that stage of the game the clear breakdown in communication had no impact on the outcome but it will encourage future opponents, starting with Argentina, to challenge with even greater conviction on the Irish throw.
From the outset it was clear that New Zealand had a policy of stepping across the line, reducing the stipulated 1m gap that’s supposed to separate the opposing jumpers and lifters. Apart from making it more difficult for the thrower to find his man, it also makes it harder for the referee to spot interference with the jumper.
Quite why the Irish players didn’t react by either bringing it to the referee's attention or forcing his hand by creating a scene by forcing the issue to establish the required space. Ireland’s response was too passive.
Any attempt by Argentina to replicate the same approach needs to be nipped at the bud. Their defence of the Italian lineout maul was poor last Saturday, yielding two tries for the hosts. Ireland have the power to inflict similar damage but must get the basics right first.
Ireland’s scrum coped well in the absence of Tadhg Furlong and, but for some questionable penalty calls from referee Nic Berry, could have profited even more. While there’s serious concern surrounding the stock of young props coming through the Irish system at present, emerging tighthead Thomas Clarkson has bided his time and is worthy of making his debut.
Argentina were once a scrummaging powerhouse on the world stage with their own approach through the famed “bajada”, a distinctive style of scrummaging whereby the hooker concentrated on pushing rather than striking and a co-ordinated movement of dropping the height of the scrum with all eight forwards going low and forward in unison.
These days, the hooker is required by law to strike. As a result, the “bajada” has been consigned to history and Argentina’s scrum has regressed to become a point of weakness in recent times. Even without Furlong, Ireland need to chase them in every scrum and put them under pressure.
Once renowned for their forward oriented approach, Argentina’s game has moved on under recent head coach Michael Cheika and his replacement Felipe Contepomi who helped reshape their attacking game when acting as assistant to Cheika.
Contepomi has given a quality backline the license to play, to attack the space from any part of the field. The back three, in particular, is lightening fast and excellent under the high ball with Juan Cruz Malia, a regular starter with Toulouse, and new wing Rodrigo Isgro, a Sevens star on the World series for the last four years, a superb finisher. The experienced Matthias Moroni is a smart playmaking centre while new out half Tomas Albornoz has brought more control since taking over from Santiago Carreras.
Proof of their newfound prowess with ball in hand was there for all to see in Udine when the tourists scored seven tries and 50 points against a decent Italian side. Ireland will look to kick more ball this time out but if they kick too deep and don’t create a contest in the air, they’ll be punished.
So much comes back to the breakdown and Ireland’s ability to recycle possession in three seconds or less against an Argentine pack that is brutally physical and incredibly messy in the contact area. In 23-year-old Juan Martin Gonzalez they have a rising star in a back row that’s been fortified even more by the return from suspension of former captain Pablo Matera.
Ireland will have their work cut out and need to reproduce the level of physicality that was responsible for winning the second Test against South Africa in Durban last July. They fell short on that front against the All Blacks and paid a heavy price.
From reliable accounts there’s been a lot of pent-up anger within the camp this week at Ireland’s failure to hit the ground running against New Zealand. The lack of accuracy at the set piece, lack of aggression in contact, lack of discipline at key times and a series of unforced handling errors have all been targeted for improvement.
When the pressure has been really on to deliver in recent times, the side that Farrell has shown his faith in has, more often than not, performed. Argentina will test that resolve for the full 80 minutes.