Argentina looking too strong for the Irish

 

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By Garth Hamilton, 25 Sep 2007 Garth Hamilton is a Roar Expert

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Ireland v Argentina preview, by Garth Hamilton

There has been something about the way the Irish have failed to deliver during this World Cup that has been very worrying. Whilst they have been arguably the most successful of the home nations at embracing the professional era, there has been nothing professional about their performances so far. To ridicule them as amateurs would be unfair to the true amateurs like Georgia and Portugal who have at least played with some heart.

No. Something is wrong with this Ireland team and it would seem it has nothing to do with their on-field ability.

I watched a replay of Ireland’s game against Georgia this week and was struck by Brian O’Driscoll’s expression as the team huddled together just before kick off. Rather than the stern and stoic marshalling of the troops you’d expect from the captain of one of the world’s top teams, O’Driscoll seemed to be imploring his team to play well. Even before the game got underway, on the very verge of the fray, it looked as though O’Driscoll thought it necessary to address some negative rather than reinforce a positive.

Recently the IRFU took the amazing decision to extend coach Eddie O’Sullivan’s tenure for another four years before the start of the world cup, effectively taking a great deal of pressure off the coach. Since then some sections of the Irish press have questioned O’Sullivan’s apparent preference for picking Ulster players. Peter Stringer, Ireland’s long time first choice halfback, has been dropped and the brilliant Geordan Murphy was mysteriously dumped for Gavin Duffy in the crucial game against France. The French press have also targeted Ronan O’Gara, not for the first time, about his personal life including allegations of huge gambling debts and marital problems.

The sum of these problems does not explain entirely Ireland’s disappearance over the last couple of weeks but it does give a picture of a team that is struggling to maintain focus.

Argentina, on the other hand, have been their usual diligent and enthusiastic selves. Devoutly focussed on winning their own scrums and troubling others, securing good lineout ball and always moving forward in tight play. This is a good Argentine side. Too good, it would seem, for Ireland this weekend. Although I would love to see an Irish resurgence I can’t help but think Argentina will win this game by an intercept and a handful of penalties.

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