Ireland told us exactly what it was going to say on the tin, but we hoped for the best regardless
The Irish Six Nations defence began with a 26-3 win over Italy that was far from pretty but rarely, apart from pre-match injuries, worrying.
Tries from Conor Murray and Tommy O’Donnell gave a sheen to the scoreline but, in reality, the match had really been won after a dogged first hour and solid Ian Keatley kicking. Here are three areas Ireland performed well and parts of their game that need improvement.
The Good
If it ain’t broke… Midway through the first half and Ireland have an attacking lineout. So it goes, Rory Best to Devin Toner, driving maul, Conor Murray box-kicks and Tommy Bowe chases hard. While many would expect Joe Schmidt to unveil a new tactical trick each week, the Kiwi did not want an expansive game until the hard work had been done first. The rolling maul didn’t directly lead to any tries but, when Ireland moved quickly off their set-piece, it caught the Italians out.
Tommy O’Donnell: Called up to start his first ever Six Nations game, 15 minutes before kick-off, the Munster flanker had a great game. He was a bundle of energy all afternoon, made great defensive plays, grated the Italians, carried well and landed all 12 of his tackles. Capped off a fine display by fending off two Italians and outpacing another to dive over and seal the win.
Bench impact: The scrum performed well all day but Schmidt was happy to go to reserves Marty Moore and Sean Cronin to freshen things up with 30 minutes to play, with Cronin showing why he is pushing Best for a starting role. Elsewhere, Ian Madigan sent O’Donnell away for his try with a neat pass and Iain Henderson showed a brief glimpse of the behemoth he undoubtedly is.
The Bad
Lacking a clinical edge: Ireland’s best chances to spear the Italians all came down the left wing, but poor handling and even worse passes let the hosts off the hook. Robbie Henshaw, who had an otherwise decent game, put down to passes and Conor Murray botched a link-up with the charging O’Donnell. Italy veered offside all day [pic below] but Ireland lacked the guile to break their L-shaped lines or grubber in behind.
Clearing out: This is an area of the game that was key to Ireland’s 2014 success. They struggled to clear out lingering Italians at the breakdown and, as a result, ball to the backline was tediously slow. This will be a huge ‘work-on’ in training next week.
Running out of steam: Needling critique here but, having done the hard work, Ireland ran out of gas in the final 10 minutes and found themselves on the back-foot. They were very lucky to see Kelly Haimona’s try chalked off, on 78 minutes, for Sergio Parisse’s knock-on, when, in fact, Isaac Boss had obstructed the Italian captain in the first place.
England should prove Ireland’s biggest championship threat. They face Italy at Twickenham next and will be targeting a large win to put points pressure on Schmidt’s men.
The Ugly
The last thing Ireland fans needed was another Sean O’Brien setback, but that’s exactly what happened in the pre-match warm-up.
Joe Schmidt says O’Brien’s hamstring took a “twinge”. He is quietly confident The Tullow Tank will be back next weekend.
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