Full-strength Ireland ready for Wallabies
By Talek Harris, 13 Sep 2011 Talek Harris is a Roar Rookie
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- Ireland, Rugby Union, Rugby World Cup, Rugby World Cup 2011, RWC, RWC 2011, wallabies
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Out-of-form Ireland admit they have their “backs to the wall” at the Rugby World Cup but they intend to come out fighting and believe they have the quality to shock next-up opponents Australia.
Team manager Paul McNaughton said on Monday the Irish tend to play at their best when under pressure; an unconvincing opening win against minnows the United States followed a run of four straight defeats.
McNaughton added that Ireland would be virtually at full strength for Saturday’s clash against the Tri Nations champions, who overcame a slow start to destroy Italy 32-6 in their first match.
“We always seem to bring our best out when our backs are against the wall,” McNaughton said.
“It’s only five or six weeks ago when Australia were beaten by Samoa and everyone was writing Australia off.
“And a couple of good wins and winning the Tri Nations has put them clearly up there as favourites.”
Ireland stuttered to a 22-10 win in wet and windy conditions in New Plymouth on Sunday but reported no injury problems apart from prop Tony Buckley, who was undergoing a shoulder scan.
But Ireland take heart from a strong World Cup record against the Wallabies after losing out by just one point 19-18 in the 1991 quarter-finals and being edged out 17-16 in a pool game in 2003.
Ireland also went down 22-15 to Australia in Brisbane last year and in 2009, they held the Wallabies 20-20 in Dublin.
“Underdogs is not a position or a name that we go looking for but we’re clearly the underdogs based on the respective records in the last three or four games,” McNaughton said.
“But that doesn’t really worry us too much. There’s strong belief in the squad that if we get all of our parts of our game, that we know we can get up there.”
“They’ve played against Australia before, they know the Australians well and there’s a confidence that on our day, when we play well and when all cylinders are running smoothly we can beat them,” he added.
“If all the key parts of our game are as strong as they can be, we certainly have the ability and the team to beat Australia.”
McNaughton refused to blame Sunday’s soaking rain, which made the ball “like a bar of soap”, for Ireland’s errors, which included gifting the United States an intercept try in the last play of the game.
“The guys are confident that if all of our cylinders are going, we can match Australia but we just have to get there,” he said.
“We’ve got a week to improve on the things that we were disappointed with on Sunday.”
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The Crowd Says (5) | Page 1 of Comments
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September 13th 2011 @ 6:56am
ChrisT said | September 13th 2011 @ 6:56am | Report comment
Ireland’s form has been horrible going into this comp, doesn’t look much better now they’ve arrived and I’d love an Irish poster to tell me why? When you look at the potential team sheet there’s quality all over it.
September 13th 2011 @ 7:31am
Pot Hale said | September 13th 2011 @ 7:31am | Report comment
Because
a) they’re past it
b) the ageing squad members no longer can deliver
c) provincial successes do not translate into automatic success on the international stage
d) a coach who is still making up his mind on the squad five days before the RWC does not instil confidence
e) the quality has either not been playing, is carrying an injury, and the remainder are back-up material
f) too much messing around trying to adopt a SH style of play that simply doesn’t work for the team that goes out on the field
g) a constant switching of the player in the pivotal 10 position does neither player a service
h) insufficient development of back up stocks and new talent at 3, 4, 7 and 13
i) gameplans that don’t match with the opposition or conditions in front of them
j) relying on a backs coach who has brought nothing new to the team in over 18 months does nothing but allow talent to wilt
k) bringing provincial habits and mindsets to an international test is like bringing a knife to a gun-fight
l) Using 4 warm-up games to allow you to mix and match at will and not care enough about a victory does count in the end.
m) Having a scrum-half who is gaining his first cap behind a scrum/maul/breakdown that fails to deliver quality ball is asking for trouble.
o) witless kicking and poor follow-up does not allow you to score tries.
p) running repeatedly into defenders who will happily tackle you all day does not allow you to score tries
q) missing four kickable penalties doesn’t help with the scoreboard
r) carrying an inside centre who preferred to go and get engaged instead of getting surgery to prepare for a RWC and is now playing like a one-armed puppet does not help – at all
s) is for Stop putting players in positions they clearly cannot play in.
t) not playing the one player who actually performed during the warm-ups and making so-so noises about his non-selection is not a good ploy
u) if your captain isn’t good enough, he shouldn’t be playing.
v) wet-weather means short passing and keeping it tight – it rains in Ireland, remember?
w) taking penalties when you have your foot on the opposition’s throat and
x) kicking for touch when you should take the points on offer are two different things – learn the difference.
y) putting shiny strips on the front of your jerseys won’t help you score more tries, you have to work for them
and
z) it’s all been a bad dream, Kidney’s been keeping things up his sleeves, and it’ll work out at the weekend.
September 13th 2011 @ 2:36pm
JohnB said | September 13th 2011 @ 2:36pm | Report comment
But overall you’re happy with how it’s going?
Mind you, play on a bog and the 2 sides come much closer together. Try getting someone to break into the ground the night before and turn the sprinklers on.
September 13th 2011 @ 2:29pm
ChrisT said | September 13th 2011 @ 2:29pm | Report comment
Yes, yes but what have the Romans ever done for us …
That;s pretty comprehensive Pot. Being English I fully expect a fine performance to be found amongst dross – can only hope for the same from your boys. A Dublin born grandmother means you’re always my second side. Here’s hoping. Would you go back to O’Gara for this one?
September 14th 2011 @ 2:11am
Pot Hale said | September 14th 2011 @ 2:11am | Report comment
Yes Chris. O’Gara to start – he is a big confidence player. Sexton possibly coming on at 60 minute mark could change things nicely if Ireland are still in the game. And it may not be to replace O’Gara.
I’d also have a couple of other surprises on the bench.
Don’t start with Healy – use Court instead.
Don’t start with Heaslip – put O’Brien at 8 and leave Jennings – a true opensider at 7. Ferris to do his usual ball-wrecking best at 6.
Put Reddan on at 9, and have Boss primed to link with Sexton for the second half, if required.
People may not have noticed a purposeful substitution Kidney employed in one of the warm-up matches where instead of the usual out-half switch between O’Gara and Sexton at the 60 minute mark, he took off Darcy instead and put Sexton at 12, where he performed very well. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did the same again against the Wallabies.
Murphy may be carrying a small injury so Kearney may get a start at 15 where I hope he’ll be joined by Bowe and Trimble (one of the few form players of the warm-ups). Earls on the bench to cover centre, wing and FB.
The absence of Digby to protect Cooper may be something that Ferris will target but Kidney may not get too sucked into this mindset until his replacement is announced.
O’Driscoll is not up to the mark, and but for his defensive nous, probably shouldn’t be playing. He may act as a foil for others rather than spearhead any attacks. But the partnership between himself and Darcy is starting to creak badly. The Wallabies young sprinters will take advantage.
I think the game is going to hang on where both teams are at the 60 minute mark. Ireland will look to be there or thereabouts and unleash a strong bench to try and win the game. I think Australia will look to put in some hammer blows early on with their superb backline, and get up by a couple of scores before then and rely on their defensive excellence to see them through.
I don’t think place-kicking/penalties is going to play a big part in winning this match; positional kicking will though. It depends on how Kidney decides to approach this one. He could go for a conservative, suck-the-life-out-of-it gameplan, and hope to hit Australia on the break with the occasional penalties. If he does, Ireland are doomed. Tries have to be scored, and will be scored. It’ll just depend on how many of them by Ireland.
If Ireland find their England 6N form we could be in for a cracker. But I’d still give it to the Wallabies by 6 -10.