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Wallabies v Ireland, Croke Park November 16, 2009. Wallabies drew with Ireland 20 all. Photo by Pothale
Irish rugby supporters are looking forward to the 2010 Six Nations tournament with such enthusiasm that we can bring out the cliche about ‘Irish eyes are smiling’ without too much chagrin. Their team is odds-on favourite to win. And rightly so.
Since the Second World War, Ireland has produced two Grand Slams sides – in 1948, with the immortal Jackie Kyle running things, and this current side, which won the 2009 tournament with a Grand Slam of victories and was then undefeated with victories against the Springboks and a draw against the Wallabies.
The rump of this team performed poorly in the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
The then coach Eddie O’Sullivan got the team’s preparation wrong and had to fall on his sword. The new coach Declan Kidney (an Irish name worthy of James Joyce’s imagination) has put the team back on track.
He has also introduced some young blood in the backs and given Ireland a game plan that has given width and pace to bolster the traditional body-heaving Irish forward game.
The only obvious weakness in the side is the scrum.
Ireland has been able to get away with a weak shove with some crafty play by its old-timers front row. Against a good scrumming side, though, they could find themselves in trouble.
Luckily for Ireland, the best scrumming side in Europe, Italy (when referees indulge that packs illegal boring-in tactics), is so bereft of attacking play that it can’t capitalise on its power up front.
Ireland play Italy at Croke Park to open the tournament and this match should, on paper at least, allow Ireland a tough but really un-losable start on its campaign to achieve back-to-back Grand Slams.
Reuters has listed Ireland as the favourites to win the tournament, followed by England, France, Wales, Scotland and Italy, in that order.
The second match of the opening round, therefore, between England and Wales at Twickenham, is a key contest. The team that wins stays alive for a tournament win. As England are hard to beat at Twickenham, and Wales are not a good away side, I’m going for England to win.
England, though, are rugby’s Great Pretenders.
They have something like three times the players of New Zealand or Australia. Twickenham is invariably packed for Test matches giving the RFU plenty of money. There are strong national and European competitions for its clubs.
By rights, England should win the Six Nations most years, and be unbeaten to boot.
Does anyone deny that the Springboks, with four Grand Slams out of nine attempts, or the All Blacks, with two Grand Slams in their last two attempts, would totally dominate the Six Nations if they were playing in it?
England’s problems, to my mind, concentrate on an adherence to a kicking game style that requires virtual total dominance in the forwards to succeed: poor selecting (Martin Johnson’s decision to include Steve Borthwick in the side – and make him captain! – is a classic example of this), and poor coaching standards, with Clive Woodward (virtually sacked for winning the 2003 RWC) being a notable exception.
England have won 44 per cent of their Tests in the last six years. A disgraceful record.
Wales have won 51 per cent, equally unimpressive.
They have had a Grand Slam won with magnificent panache some years ago. But the team did not progress from this. The Wallabies beat Wales relatively easily at Cardiff last season.
It is hard to see how this present generation of players or the coaching staff can revive the glory days.
But the place to start, if this to happen (which I very much doubt), is against the old enemy, England.
In the past, Scotland tended to be everyone’s favourite second side, especially in the days of Gavin Hastings, a rugby knight in shining armour if ever such a person existed.
But in recent years, Scotland has done many unsporting things that have tarnished the reputation of the side and its rugby union.
Some years ago, for instance, Scotland organised a ‘thin’ playing field at Glasgow in a Test against the Wallabies. In 2007, Scotland deceived the IRB and the All Blacks to play in jerseys that resembled the All Blacks’ away kit.
Scotland has been aggressively negative (along with the RFU) to changes intended to make rugby a more attractive and expansive spectacle. And so on and so on …
Scotland, though, defeated the Wallabies last season, which suggests that the national team is becoming competitive.
The pack is big. There is some skill in the backs. The intention to play running rugby is there. The team lacks an organising first five-eighths, which makes it hard to understand why Chris Paterson hasn’t been given a long term appointment in the position.
Ian McGeechan, recently knighted for his contributions to rugby and an acknowledged great coach, made a similar comment in The Sunday Times (UK) recently.
The quality of rugby in the Six Nations is not as intense as in the Tri-Nations tournament.
But there is a magic about a tournament that started really in 1910 when France came into a British/Irish tournament. The French gave the new tournament its name, the Five Nations, and some of its most memorable moments.
Judging on the play in the various club championships going on in Europe over the last couple of months, the play this year will be intense (as usual), exciting, and will feature more ball-in-hand play than we could have expected earlier in the season.
The proper application of the tackle-ball laws and the offside laws involving chasers of kicks have opened up the game to allow (if teams can get their alignments rights) more counter-attacking play.
Finally, a note on the television coverage of this magnificent and historic rugby tournament. Setanta no longer carries Six Nations matches. The games are live on ESPN HD and on ESPN (508) on Sunday afternoon at 3pm, 5pm and 8pm.
So it’s ‘Cockles and Mussels, alive, alive O’; the plangent bagpipes; ‘Bread of Heaven’; ‘Swing low, sweet chariot’; ‘Allez les Bleus’ and ‘Azzuri! Azzuri!’
Bring it on.
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pothale said | February 4th 2010 @ 4:00am | Report comment
Now you’ve gone and done it – you’ve put the hex on us.
We’ll never win it now.
Sigh!
MattyP said | February 4th 2010 @ 4:12am | Report comment
I always enjoy the 6N as a neutral – although I agree with Spiro on the intensity being generally better in the trinations, at least the 6N doesn’t have the damnable repetition.
Spiro – interesting you left France out of the analysis altogther. Too hard to call? They have probably the best cattle to choose from if you watch European rugby, but as a unit are probably just inferior to Ireland.
pothale said | February 4th 2010 @ 5:29am | Report comment
Matty – am curious. I’ve often heard the phrase that the “intensity” is better in the trinations. Spiro says the quality of rugby is not as intense as trinations.
What exactly does this mean? It seems to make sense to every SH supporter when they hear or say it. And I tend to nod encouragingly when I hear it but actually fail to grasp or understand the point.
I watch the trinations regularly and thoroughly enjoy the matches – and I am a distant observer, with no affinity to a particular team involved.
Is it the intensity of play? Of the players/teams? The physical match-ups/tackling? Scoring?
Pajovic said | February 4th 2010 @ 6:21am | Report comment
Pothale, my take on the use of the word ‘intensity’ in rugby is that In the 6 nations, you might have a couple of ‘intense’ games against the likes of Ireland and France, however, following these fixtures, you might have a fairly handy fixture against the likes of Italy or Scotland which would accordingly, reduce the ‘intensity’, The ‘intensity’ would then pick up again with say a fixture in Twickers the following week. However, the Italian/Scots fixtures would have diluted the intensity. In contrast, in the Tri Nations, each game is usually ‘intense’ and accordingly, you don’t get the dilution that you do in the 6 nations. One caveat for my Antipodean friends is that when the currently overrated Pumas join the fray, I expect them to take time to get used to the competition and I see them getting a good few hidings, especially away from home for several years. Accordingly, the ‘intensity’ of the tournament will drop a notch or two.
Does anyone agree/disagree with my take on the use of this word in rugby (esp. SH) parlance?
Campbell Watts said | February 4th 2010 @ 1:40pm | Report comment
Nicely explained Pajovic!
Who Needs Melon said | February 4th 2010 @ 6:29am | Report comment
pothale,
For me, an intense match is one in which (a) both teams are fairly evenly matched and (b) you can see that virtually every player on both teams is absolutely desperate to win and you can see it by the fact they’ve played to and sometimes past the point of exhaustion.
I’m not saying the SH has this and the NH doesn’t – I’m not going to weigh into that boring my-hemisphere-is-better-than-yours rubbish and I’m sure you don’t want to either.
You might not want to nod so encouragingly next time though.
MattyP said | February 5th 2010 @ 4:27am | Report comment
Pots – as my teenagers would say, “what they said”. Some of it’s more subjective – obviously what’s dull and boring to a neutral may be intense and rivetting to the partisan fan. But generally I think it’s a combination of speed of play, physicality and closeness of the contest which makes for intensity.
Pajovic said | February 4th 2010 @ 4:35am | Report comment
‘Irish eyes are smiling’ the oldest cliche in the book! followed swiftly by ‘the Guinness will be flowing in Dublin tonight’
Jay said | February 4th 2010 @ 9:43am | Report comment
‘luck of the irish’
Pajovic said | February 4th 2010 @ 6:13pm | Report comment
Nice one Jay, ‘They’ll be dancing at the crossroads tonight’ another gut wrencher!
Mr cheese said | February 4th 2010 @ 5:10am | Report comment
I don’t think that South Africa or New Zealand would win the 6 Nations.
That is principally because they’re on the other side of the world. To qualify, you have to be from, er, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France or Italy.
Colin N said | February 4th 2010 @ 5:25am | Report comment
“In 2007, Scotland deceived the IRB and the All Blacks to play in jerseys that resembled the All Blacks’ away kit.”
What? That was Scotland’s fault? How?
“Scotland has been aggressively negative (along with the RFU) to changes intended to make rugby a more attractive and expansive spectacle. And so on and so on …”
Again rubbish. the Scottish lower competitions was one of the first league to trial the ELVs and from what I thought they said, were very much positive to those rules.
And what’s the ‘so on and so on.’
Wavell Wakefield said | February 4th 2010 @ 5:39am | Report comment
Scotland has long been the most ‘progressive’ (in broad Australian terms) NH team. Typical uninformed tabloid guff and a typically poor ‘analysis’ i.e there isn’t any. Might as well have written an article on Jerusalem Artichokes.
Campbell Watts said | February 4th 2010 @ 1:43pm | Report comment
How are they traveling WW?
Must admit I haven’t seen them play before
PastHisBest said | February 4th 2010 @ 2:20pm | Report comment
They’re doing quite well in the Israeli Top League I believe Campbell…
Wavell Wakefield said | February 6th 2010 @ 9:19pm | Report comment
They do travel well, that much is true.
Viscount Crouchback said | February 4th 2010 @ 7:56pm | Report comment
What about the Scots refusing to permit the Pacific Island nations to play ex-All Blacks?
Or the Scots shutting the door on the Italians joining the Magners League?
(They hide behind the cloak of Celtic unity, but in both cases it is known that the Scots were the most belligerent).
Or the Scots attaching themselves like a leech to every World Cup played in the northern hemisphere and then struggling to even half fill Murrayfield?
The SRU is an unprofessional rabble and has been for quite some time.
pothale said | February 4th 2010 @ 11:17pm | Report comment
Ouch!
Colin N said | February 4th 2010 @ 11:25pm | Report comment
“What about the Scots refusing to permit the Pacific Island nations to play ex-All Blacks?”
When?
“Or the Scots shutting the door on the Italians joining the Magners League?”
When? I thought it was money issues which stopped them from joining?
“Or the Scots attaching themselves like a leech to every World Cup played in the northern hemisphere and then struggling to even half fill Murrayfield?”
But that isn’t in reference to Spiro talking about Scotland being ‘unsportsman like.’
pothale said | February 5th 2010 @ 5:44am | Report comment
The money issues – led by the Scots who who pushing for financial demands that the Italians couldn’t meet.
Colin N said | February 4th 2010 @ 5:27am | Report comment
“The team lacks an organising first five-eighths, which makes it hard to understand why Chris Paterson hasn’t been given a long term appointment in the position.”
You’ve sort contradicted yourself – you say they need an organising fly-half (which is correct), but then mention Chris Paterson, who is not an organising fly-half who can dictate play.
Hansie said | February 4th 2010 @ 6:38am | Report comment
France to win the 6Ns this year.
Dublin Dave said | February 4th 2010 @ 7:59am | Report comment
Don’t worry about the Hex sign, Pothale. Ireland are not the real favourites for this tournament.
Spiro reported Reuters’ predictions for the forthcoming championship. Reuters is a long established and trusted news agency but at the end of the day they’re just a bunch of journalists, ie a group of people heroically inept at predicting the future accurately.
To get a feel for the real favourites, you must canvass the opinion of the people whose livelihood depends on calling future events accurately; namely the good folk of the bookmaking fraternity. These are the guys who really do put their money where their mouths are and they are united in placing France as favourites for the Grand Slam and/or the Six Nations Championship with Ireland second.
In their favour is this year’s scheduling of the championship. In even years, France have to play Ireland and England at home, and this gives them a decided advantage this year. Irish wins in Paris, or St Denis, are as rare as hen’s teeth. It is a fact that Ireland have won as many test victories in Australia since the war as they have in Paris .(three apiece) If they can pull this one off, they will be genuine Grand Slam contenders. It is more likely that they will make their way from St Denis to Twickenham with a sound beating under their belts and looking to revive their hopes of winning the championship with a resurgent performance against England.
I think it very likely that nobody will win a slam this year, and it might come down to points difference between two or more leading teams.
For what it’s worth, here are my predictions:
Ireland 8pts losing to France
France 6pts losing to Wales and Scotland
England 6 pts losing to Ireland and France
Wales 6pts losing to Ireland and England
Scotland 4pts losing to Ireland, England and Wales
Italy pointless.
Hammer said | February 4th 2010 @ 9:08am | Report comment
“Italy pointless” – never a truer word spoken …
I was never overly enthused with Kirwan as a coach (although he’s certainly grown into his role with Japan) – but at the very least he tried to win games … under Mallett they’re almost playing “anti” rugby – being defined by the narrowness of the losing margin ..
Froar said | February 4th 2010 @ 10:27am | Report comment
Give them a break. These things don’t change quickly. They have better record than France did when they first entered the comp. It has done wonders for the game in italy.
Terry Kidd said | February 4th 2010 @ 8:30am | Report comment
Yeah Spiro, why no mention of France? I too believe they are Ireland’s big stumbling block, especially as they play away in France. My prediction is that there will be no Grand Slam winner this year and the championship will come dow to points for and against between France and Ireland.
Sorry Pothale and Dublin Dave but my moneys going on France in a tight finish.
Thanks for the ESPN tip Spiro.
Pots … going by your ancestry you should, in the SH, become a Rebels and Wallabies supporter …. welcome aboard !!!!
pothale said | February 4th 2010 @ 9:17am | Report comment
Terry – I’ll happily climb aboard the Rebels bandwagon – everyone else seems to be.
Wallabies – I’ll have to put that on hold until July because..
The big game – in every sense – for Ireland is the French game. Ireland should treat it like a semi-final cos it’s that important. As I said elsewhere, if Ireland lose the championship but beat France at home, then they’ve still done well.
Winning away in the tough places should be their target this year. Twickenham is no longer a fortress, they’ve won there recently enough, and England are no longer a bogey team. France still are.
Win away in France, and they are better prepared for heading down south and taking on and beating both Australia and New Zealand.
When they’ve done that, I’ll happily cheer raucously for Wallabies in the tri-nations.
Fair?
The Phantom said | February 4th 2010 @ 8:59am | Report comment
It is an absolute disgrace that ESPN have the telecast rights and will only show the games live in their HD channel meaning to watch I have to fork out the extra $$$$, I only upgraded to Setanta last year on the premis that they had the rights to european rugby, now that is only the club stuff. I don’t mind if the broadcaster changes to ESPN but surley they can atleast show the games live on their standard channel.