Ireland: A Six Nations Preview

A bunch of us we're playing pool one night, having a few beers and shooting the breeze. In our group was a guy from Limerick who was in Dublin studying. He was Munster through and through, if you pricked him, he bled red. This was a month or two before Munster would lift their first Heineken Cup and invariably the conversation turned to the oval ball.


The Six Nations of that year had seen Ireland pipped to the championship on points difference by France (a disastrous first-half in Paris springs to mind) and had seen Shane Horgan score a dramatic late try to seal the Triple Crown at Twickenham, in the last  minute of the last match that year. But my new friend from Moyross was indifferent to the national team's successes and longed for provincial glory in Europe. The only concession he made towards Leinster was that Brian O'Driscoll was "brave." My blood boiled (blue, I presume). But he was no fool, he knew his stuff, but was gripped by what I can only describe as an obsession.


Over the past ten years, I have found myself becoming less of an Ireland fan and more of a Leinster one. Don't misunderstand me, my allegiance to Ireland is as it always was, ever since I watched the '91 World Cup, or in the Five Nations of 1993 and 1994, where the fires of patriotism were stirred inside me as Ireland beat Engerland at Lansdowne Road, and by a point at Twickenham, respectively.


But I ask myself, would I trade the possibility that Leinster become the second team to retain the Heineken Cup for Ireland winning another Grand Slam? Then I think of my Munster friend and wonder what he might choose if it were his Provence?. But I don't have to wonder long, and I dare say, he would wonder at all in coming to his decision. My point is that it has become difficult to sate an opinion regarding the Irish national team that aligns with one's provincial allegiance, without it being cited as the determining factor in arriving at that opinion.


Even Declan Kidney himself has his favourites and some selections cause the average Irish supporter to scratch their heads. If one were to collate all the discussion regarding Kidney's selection for Ireland's first game of the Six Nations versus Wales and aggregate it into one word, that word might be conservative. On the whole though, I disagree with such an appraisal on the basis of: who else can he pick? Calls for Simon Zebo's inclusion are ridiculous. One only has to reference Andrew Trimble's ascension to the starting line-up to see that Zebo has a long way to go. The Ulsterman has been one of the in-form backs in Ireland this season and was the only performer of note in Ireland's World Cup warm-up games. No one can say, based on his form, this season and last, that Trimble does not deserve his starting berth. The doubts that I have about him (and it could be argued that based on the selection policy of the last two coaches, I'm not the only one) at international level will be dispelled if he can carry his provincial form with him. Though, having said that, if O'Driscoll was fit, I would have no doubt that Earls would have started on the wing with Andrew Trimble dropping to the bench or out of the squad altogether.


I see O'Callaghan's inclusion, or Donncha 1.0, ahead of Ryan, predictably Donnacha 2.0 (the upgrade comes with an extra A), as such a regressive step as to continue to use Vista when Windows 7 is on the shelf. Ryan has proven this year to be a dynamic ball carrier who is good in the set-piece (though gives up some push to 1.0 at scrum time) and at the grunt work. Most importantly though, since usurping his predecessor in the Munster side, 2.0 is also a proven foil for O'Connell. And though 1.0 had an excellent game against Northampton in the last pool game of the European Cup, as Aristotle might say "one swallow does not a spring make." O'Callaghan's ill-discipline at the break-down, in my opinion offsets his expertise at the choke tackle, and is a genuine concern.


What of Earls at centre? There's only one thing to say about the selection; he is a poor passer. So what is their to argue about? He has tremendous gas (the result of a high-fibre diet, I guess) and can step off both sides, but if he can't pass, he can't play at centre. In fact, on form, Earls should drop to the bench. Those of you who would cite his performance against the Saints, I refer you to Aristotle. If Jamie Roberts is passed fit to line up for Wales he will test Earls' defensive capabilities to the utmost. Whilst Tommy Bowe was an obvious candidate for the number thirteen shirt, it's Fergus McFadden who can feel most hard done by, as it were.


He has risen to every challenge since he broke into the Leinster team, is good on D and passes well off either side and has a good break. Then there's Luke Fitzgerald, who was named in the Wolfhounds squad, though injury ruled him out, and is an incredibly exciting prospect for the Irish midfield. Those who have written him off are nothing if not premature. His form for Leinster before this injury was superb and not merely his attacking play, but his aggression, and furthermore technique at the breakdown has surpassed even the strength of his running game. His defence is solid and his angles of attack, particularly his trailers are excellent. Last season's Six Nations form and his World Cup omission look to be behind him and one can only hope that a return to the squad is not as hard to achieve as exclusion seems to be.


Peter O'Mahony's inclusion on the bench is heartening. Here we have a 22-year-old flanker who has all the raw material to be an excellent, traditional open-side, something Ireland lack in the back-row. Paddy Wallace's (I know, I know, give the guy a break) inclusion in the squad if not the match-day 22 is an opportunity missed to offer a taste of the national team to someone like Eoin O'Malley. Actually not "someone like Eoin O'Malley," but Eoin O'Malley.


It will be particularly interesting to see how Les Kiss assimilates the attack coach's role into his defensive responsibilities. Ireland must nullify the role of Warburton at the breakdown, and our lack of a ground hog in the back-row is a weakness, especially against an operator of the Welsh captain's class. The most pressing concern for Kiss though, is how do Ireland score off multi-phase play? Under both O'Sullivan and Kidney, the men in green have been masters of scoring off first-phase play, but Wales will not kick the ball to touch against Ireland, thus nullifying our ability at the line-out. Will Kearney's form for Leinster and the improvement in his counter-attacking game be utilised on Sunday? A case of Wales being damned if they do and damned if they don't with the boot could offer us a territorial foothold in the game.


In Wales' World Cup quarter-final victory, they deployed the "chop-tackle" to limit Ireland's ability to off-load, so look for Ireland to attack around the fringes and and draw the Welsh defence in. It's vital that we use decoy runners to keep our Celtic cousins guessing as, Liam Toland outlined in his Irish Times column, referring to O'Gara skipping O'Connell in midfield when the lock had up to that point been a major ball carrier in the game.


On the balance of probability home advantage should tell for Ireland, but without knowing the Wales team and what their injury toll actually is, it's impossible to call. But what we can say for sure is that it is a game Ireland must win.