OPINION: Grounds for optimism in opening draw but still just the one bloody try

 

Another game, another solitary try.

When Conor Murray darted over in the 27th minute Ireland had already been laying siege to the Welsh line for a good portion of a pulsating opening quarter. The pace did not let up for the next 53 minutes. Unfortunately neither did the Wales defence. Aside from last year's championship-sealing tryfest in Murrayfield, you have to go back to November 2014 for the last time Ireland managed two tries against a Tier 1 nation. There was so much to be encouraged by in this performance: CJ Stander's head-turning debut, some tremendous defence as a unit and enough from Johnny Sexton to suggest the talisman is hitting his best form at the perfect time. But still just the single try. And a single point. There could have been more tries, with Simon Zebo in particular looking very threatening at full-back - combining on a number of occasions with Conor Murray in the second half. However with the scrum struggling for large periods, Ireland needed to try and be more creative and more daring when they had the opportunities. There were a couple of attempted offloads and certainly more creativity with ball in hand than we have seen for some time, but still the one try. This was predicted to be a dour Six Nations and, while defence is still the cornerstone upon which Ireland's gameplan is built, there are signs that Joe Schmidt is loosening the reins somewhat. What won the last two Six Nations is unlikely to work a third time and against Wales we saw a little more endeavour with ball in hand, if not the penetration. What we saw on Saturday in Paris and Edinburgh would suggest Ireland will not be blinded by French and English flair in their next two fixtures, but Eddie Jones' England, in particular, look well-structured and stingy. Has Joe Schmidt got another card up his sleeve for Ireland's two away days? Does he look at adding ballast to the midfield in the shape of Stuart McCloskey, moving Jared Payne to full-back and freeing Zebo to take flight on the wing? Trimble is solid under a high ball and a firm favourite of Schmidt, but would a back-three of Zebo, Payne and Keith Earls - who has possibly suffered a concussion - offer more cutting edge? Would McCloskey and Robbie Henshaw be the type of hefty midfield pairing needed to punch holes? What is heartening is the options open to Schmidt as he prepares for a six-day turnaround and a trip to Paris. Sean O'Brien and Rob Kearney should be fit and available- with the former far more likely to be accommodated than the latter. Just the one try, but five clean line breaks compared to none for Wales. While opponents are getting to grips with the simple delights of Warrenball, Ireland do seem to be evolving slowly. Still just the one try though.