We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope- Martin Luther King
It was a disappointing end to the 6 Nations for Ireland. A fourth week on the trot proved too much as England ruthlessly exposed our lack of depth in the front row. Is this the end of an era? Are Ireland set for a generation in the wilderness?
Certainly this campaign was a disappointing one. However it was also not a disastrous one. Indeed a victory in Twickenham would have solidified a satisfactory championship where Ireland could also have beaten the eventual Grand Slam champions had they been more aggressive at the end of the game and had a bit more luck.
England without doubt deserved their victory to cap off an exceedingly good tournament for themselves, but the foundations of the victory came from the scrum. It is an aspect Ireland have been rather weak in over the last number of years. Mike Ross and Cian Healy are both nearly as important to Ireland as Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell are.
From the moment Ross departed the scene, Ireland were annihilated up front. Yet if a prop or two could emerge in the coming months or year it would leave Ireland in such a healthier position. Healy and Ross whilst not world beaters in the scrum are not as bad as Twickenham might suggest.
In the Aviva the week previous it was the Irish front row who were ravaging the Scotland scrum and not vice versa. They merely need back up as it is impossible for both men to stay fit for their entire careers.
Overall Ireland deserved to be third. Other results could have gone their way, namely the Welsh match, but on the other hand they could also have easily lost to France. Interestingly it was more the individuals for Ireland who caught the eye rather than the team ever really cutting loose as a unit.
Steven Ferris was a monstrous force in the back row whilst Rob Kearney and Tommy Bowe were hugely prominent throughout the campaign. Added to that Johnny Sexton had a good solid tournament whilst Conor Murray is progressing steadily.
On the other hand however the curtain may be closing on some great warriors. Donncha O'Callaghan is doing his utmost to keep his namesake Ryan out of the side. To be fair to O'Callaghan he didn't have a bad championship, but Donncha Ryan is now close to knocking the door down and nailing the number four jersey down.
Meanwhile Gordon D'arcy will also surely struggle to stay in the starting line up. Again he is a player of undoubted quality and his defence was as solid as ever but the breaks of old that were his trademark are becoming a distant memory. With Brian O'Driscoll now also back to full fitness it is hard to see D'arcy starting many more games in an Ireland shirt.
For the optimists out there we could do worse than to remember what happened after the last time England hammered Ireland in Twickenham and Wales defeated France for a Grand Slam on the final day of the 6 Nations. It was 2008. A year later Ireland did the unthinkable and won the Grand Slam.
In the meantime Ireland must regroup for the summer tour where they will face the mighty All Blacks. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. We can only hope it doesn't rain.
No comments:
Post a Comment