There is no obvious reason for Ireland’s conservative game plan under Joe Schmidt, is there?
After all Schmidt was backs coach of Clermont during arguably their most successful campaign. In many respects Schmidt was the very embodiment of attacking rugby while at Clermont. He was at the heart of some of the most sophisticated attacking moves the Northern Hemisphere had witnessed during Clermont’s Bouclier de Brennus Top 14 title win.
So how did Joe Schmidt, the former trendsetter transform into Joe Schmidt, the breakdown expert? What has happened to Ireland’s attack under Schmidt?
We should remember, this was a team renowned for their attacking excellence in the Northern Hemisphere rugby circuit. A team that had produced some of the best tries the Six Nations had seen such as Girvan Dempsey’s team try versus England in 2004 or Brian O’Driscoll’s delightful pass for Simon Zebo to score at the millennium stadium in 2013.
This weekend demonstrated all that was bad about the Irish rugby team.
A lack of game changers, a weak scrum and poor strength in depth. Some of the above is unforced, Ireland have more gamebreakers than most of the other teams in the six nations.
Craig Gilroy, Stuart Olding, Matt Healy, Keith Earls and Luke Fitzgerald all possess a deadly step and are as creative as any players the North has to offer. Yet, only the latter two have got any proper game time under Schmidt. When these two are injured Ireland rarely look threatening out wide.
We have to get one thing straight, Ireland without Paul O’Connell are unlikely to outmuscle anybody as our front five is too weak. Denis Buckley, the skillful Connacht prop, along with fellow Connacht propect Ultan Dillane could help Ireland’s front five.
Unless Ireland introduce the likes of 110 kg centre Stuart McCloskey, Craig Gilroy and Ultan Dillane we will struggle to beat the All Blacks and get past the quarter finals of the World Cup.
This is my exciting Ireland team for the rest of the Six Nations and the tour to South Africa.
1. Denis Buckley
2. Sean Cronin
3. Mike Ross
4. Donnacha Ryan
5. Ultan Dillane/ (Ian Henderson injured)
6. Rhys Ruddock
7. Tommy O’Donnell/ (Sean O’Brien injured)
8. CJ. Stander
9. Conor Murray
10. Jonathan Sexton
11. Craig Gilroy
12. Stuart McCloskey
13. Robbie Henshaw
14. Matt Healy
15. Stuart Olding
Jake
Guest
Yes, apparently he was. Ireland were also going make the world cup final, and even had a good chance of winning it..........apparently
chucked
Guest
Best coach in the world wasn't he?. Sure thing to replace Steve Hansen wasn't he?.Bollocks. he can take solace thatIreland will never again get so close to winning a game against the AB'S..and dream on if he. thinks he has more. than 1% chance of the. top job in NZ
Akari
Roar Rookie
Thanks Colm and DD
moaman
Roar Guru
johnno2...I think you will find,if you dig a little further into the 'Fact Pile' that--Ireland has a team made up of players from The Irish Republic and Northern Ireland (Ulster) combined. So definitely NOT a "british" team,per se.
Cathal
Guest
I don't think they will get trashed by the English because if you think about it there (England) scrum in particular is there main weapon for beating teams and basically waiting for them to tire. France I think would be able to deal with England for 80 mins and they have imo the best front row in the NH at least and by the time that game comes around France will know there identity a little bit more and I feel will be a different proposition.
Colm
Roar Guru
Yeah, not very optimistic about London myself. I'm even more pessimistic about France beating England in Paris. If France play like they did against Ireland they could get thrashed.
Cathal
Guest
For Ireland to win the 6N they need more or less 8 realistic results to go there way...and out of those 8 only 2 seem unlikely. them being Ireland beating England in Twickenham and Scotland beating France in Murrayfield. I honestly think we have a chance in Twickenham if we play with attitude,the right players in the right positions, sort out the scrum and get a little bit of luck we can take England...im not very optimistic we will win but if I was to say we didn't have a chance in London I'd be lying!
Colm
Roar Guru
Hi Mike, I think your team could well beat England. The problem is, will it really matter? We have beaten England before playing in a conservative manner but have struggled to beat the Big Southern Hemisphere teams away from home. Even if we beat them it's highly unlikely we'll win the six nations. Maybe my team is a bit rash, but I think the rest of the six nations and the match against Canada could be the only chance we get to test these players. We have three tests coming up against South Africa and two against New Zealand. We need to improve our strength in depth if were to win the series in South Africa, as no doubt it will be very atttritional. It will be pointless if we pick another conservative team and lose to England. Olding didn't have a great game against Toulon, but he definitely has a spark at fullback and it's not as if Zebo and Kearney are world class defenders. Matt Healy on the other hand is a great defender at club level and has the speed that maybe only Earls can match. Maybe give one of them a chance against Scotland and the other a game against Italy. I still think we can beat South Africa if every body is fit but taking them on up front isn't how were going to win.
Mike52007
Guest
That's a poor irish team you've selected to be honest Colm. A lot based on early Connaught form a few months ago. Don't get me wrong I understand your selections but it would be madness to drop players like McGrath, Trimble and Heaslip at this stage. This team can beat England in two weeks,- 1. McGrath 2. Best 3. White 4. Ryan 5. Toner 6. Stander 7. O'donnell 8. Heaslip 9. Murrey 10. Sexton 11. Trimble 12. Henshaw 13. Mccloskey/Marshall (I can't decide who would compliment Henshaw more) 14. Earls 15. Kearney 16. Sherry 17. Healy 18. Ross 19. Foley 20. Ruddock 21. McGrath 22. Jackson 23. Zebo You have romantic ideas about this irish team Colm and thats great but guys like Olding and Healy would be a liability at this level I think. Go back and watch Olding performance against Toulon last year he was severely exposed. As I said the team I've put forward can beat England make no mistake. If they can get over the horrific injury toll I think South Africa will struggle in the summer against the full compliment irish team.
Peter Hughes
Roar Rookie
yeah well I apologise for using that word "British". IIeland players are picked in the Lions but as Irish - so sorry.
Dublin Dave
Guest
That brings in to focus one of the perennial truths about Irish Rugby - a dearth of truly world class scrum halves and the importance of Peter Stringer to the team of the noughties. Stringer was far from being the complete scrum half: he was tiny, not particularly fast and didn't have a blind side break in his game, unless you count his famous blind side try to win the Heineken Cup for Munster in 2006 but that was because Biarritz had so discounted the possibility of his ever trying such a move that they left that flank completely undefended! Stringer never got within an ass's roar of making a Lions touring team but he did have a sublime pass. Indeed, as he's still playing, I suspect he still does. As such he was the ideal scrum half for a team that included running talents like O'Driscoll, Hickie, Geordan Murphy et al. Murray is a more complete player but not in the same league in terms of delivery of pass.
Colm
Roar Guru
Hi Akari, Conor Murray was one of Ireland''s better players against Wales and can deliver quick service but I agree he was poor against France. We have a few young halfbacks in the Smith mould but they're untested at international level. Luke McGrath at Leinster is probably most similar to Smith. He is currently behind Eoin Reddan in the pecking order at club and international level.
Colm
Roar Guru
You have made some very pertinent points Bakkies. Brumbies before White was very similar to Scotland at the moment. Playing good rugby without being effective and disgruntled fans. Schmidt's tactics are driven by money and reputation. I think he had the right tactics for his first two years, with our strong pack and tactical halfbacks. In my opinion our current front five aren't strong enough to play that game. Henderson is injured and Paul O'Connell retired. With that game plan you also need Murray and Sexton on top form. I think with a 12 and 13 partnership of McCloskey and Henshaw we would avoid doing what the Brumbies did (i.e running side to side). I also agree with your point regarding the mental block and Ireland at world cups. Do you think this current team are weak mentally? Every time they have had a chance to make history, they have failed (i.e Ireland vs New Zealand 2013, World cup Quarter final vs Argentina and now a chance at a third six nations in a row).
Macdonovan
Guest
You clearly have no knowledge of history,but only to be expected from a Australian or is it a New Zealander.But does it matter for are they not the same??!!
Bakkies
Guest
'sorry mate, irish rugby is a british team selected from the people of ireland.' Say that to O'Connell and Clohessy's faces.
johnno2
Guest
sorry mate, irish rugby is a british team selected from the people of ireland. england is a british team selected from the people of england etc. irish rugby is in a hole and needs to start digging quickly. i thought they had wales in the first game but wales came roaring back playing on national pride. france won on saturday playing on national pride. where has the irish pride gone?
Akari
Roar Rookie
Colm - I noted that Murray was particularly slow in his service and almost always picked up the ball before passing; which allowed the French defence to reset and effectively reduced the time frame for the Irish backs to attack. In the end, Sexton had no choice but to deliver the ball to his winger via the quickest way and that is to kick. Do they have a Aaron Smith type HB in the wings?
Bakkies
Guest
Eddie O'Sullivan's sides 2005-2006 played a wide game with O'Gara hitting passes on the gain line. Shredded the Wallabies and Boks in the '06 AIs. There's a mental bloc going in to tournaments particularly in 2007 with Arg and France in the pool. France were the bogey team and there was history with Arg, Eddie over-prepared his team along with Ulster playing rubbish Rugby. Ulster deserved not to have many players in his squad on form but they're similar to Qld they expect to have players in it. Schmidt's tactics is driven simply by money and reputation. The IRFU relies on Six Nations placement money to fund the game. You could compare it with White at the Brumbies. The side was playing brutal Rugby, side to side rubbish. Team's position on the log affects the overall bottom line. The previous coach goes, new one comes in with a reputation to preserve but with a long term plan. Eventually gets quick results playing basic Rugby. Schmidt's exit strategies are similar to White's Brumbies tactics. Contestable kicks to try and win the ball. Whereas the previous coaching regime let the players run free which saw them express gutter Rugby from their own try line or 22 that led to the opposition scoring points. This led to lost games, fans disinterested and players angry at their team mates. You can't blame White or Schmidt in these situations. Schmidt however needs to move on from his Leinster trusted faithful which also raises those points as those players had their team and careers set back by brutal coaching.
Bakkies
Guest
'From my southern point of view Ireland are simply the only British team not to significantly change style since 2004. They’ve tweaked it a bit is all.' British? Watch out where you are treading there.
PeterK
Roar Guru
thats what the wallabies do when they have a weak tight 5.