PASSION PLAY
Reclaiming emotional edge vital to Ireland reigniting campaign
WITH 62 minutes gone and Ireland, amazingly, only down by four points despite being dominated by England in every area, Conor Murray sought direction as he prepared to feed the scrum.
‘Four? Four?’ he appeared to mouth at Johnny Sexton before offering a quick thumbs up as his out-half confirmed the plan.
When the ball came out, Murray set up three ineffectual carries for Bundee Aki, Peter O’Mahony and Andrew Porter and then went straight for the box-kick.
Jonny May claimed the high ball and England set in train the chain of events that would lead to the decisive try by Henry Slade a couple of minutes later.
Now, perhaps our lip-reading was off, perhaps Murray kicking on the fourth phase after agreeing the ‘four’ play with Sexton was coincidental, but it looked very much like a scripted scenario which did not come off — the overriding theme of a grim evening.
England defence coach John Mitchell got a lot of air time in the build-up for describing Ireland’s game plan as ‘boring’ but, subjective views on entertainment value aside, the Joe Schmidt template has been enormously successful for Ireland and, last Saturday, the tactics were not the issue.
The problem was England had the edge in emotional intensity and energy and Ireland’s tactical aspirations foundered on the jagged rocks of incredible aggression.
True, England were by far the bigger outfit but Ireland have regularly overcome bulk deficiencies by carrying the greater force of will and the combination of traditional Irish frenzy with Schmidt-induced focus, has been the cornerstone of recent success and progress.
‘Passion’ was a buzzword that dogged Irish rugby for years, going back to the amateur era. Opposition teams would patronisingly talk about matching Irish fire for the first 60 minutes, knowing that it would fizzle out and superior fitness and skill levels would take over.
Under Schmidt (right), meticulous preparation has raised Ireland’s effec- tiveness to a new level but, against the better teams in the bigger games, it has been underscored by the fury to make it count. It was there in the seismic win over the All Blacks last November, against the English when claiming the Grand Slam last March, wins over Australia and South Africa and on numerous other occasions to the point where it has not required analysis — Ireland’s emotional edge was an accepted part of their make-up, a given. On the days when the opposition have carried that edge — Argentina at the World Cup and last year, Scotland and Wales in 2017 — Ireland have struggled to hit their peak and that was certainly the case last weekend. The surprise was that it occured against England, the opponents Ireland have always been most worked up for. It was not that the Irish players lacked desire, it was just England’s was more overt and powerful — the constant screaming and preening may have been over-the-top, but it was a concerted policy that infused the white jerseys with energy and sapped it from the home team.
And, in the oceans of post-mortem fallout from Ireland’s 20-32 home humbling, the most pertinent came from their head coach.
‘We were very quiet before the game, I didn’t sense the same energy levels I would have had in November for the All Blacks game. I didn’t feel it, you almost get this vibrancy from the group and we didn’t have it,’ said Schmidt.
It was a revealing observation but one that demanded explanation and as head coach, it is part of Schmidt’s brief to ensure that energy is always there.
This mental, intangible aspect to rugby has not always come naturally to southern hemisphere coaches, who tend to be more analytical and process driven. The brilliant Living with the
Lions documentary in 1997 opened a window into the pre-match motivations of northern hemisphere players. From the Churchillian speeches of coaches Ian McGeechan and Jim Telfer to the dressing-room exhortations of the likes of Keith Wood and Jason Leonard, it was a raw insight into how these men got to the pitch required and came as a shock to southern viewers.
The Super Rugby and Rugby Championship competitions are emotionally sterile by comparison with their European Cup and Six Nations equivalents and, as the skills divide has narrowed incrementally, the extra fire of the European nations has assumed added importance.
Igniting that fire may not come naturally to Schmidt but he clearly realises the importance of that heat and needs to hand the matches to individuals capable of lighting up the collective.
That could be defence coach Andy Farrell or Peter O’Mahony (whose altercation with Kyle Sinckler last Saturday stood out as a rare example of getting in English faces) while Ireland captain Rory Best, although usually measured by nature, also needs to tap into his inner Henry V.
Because, for Ireland to get back on World Cup track in Scotland this weekend, the emotional aspect to their performance is essential and if they require an example of its potency, they should look at the footage of Munster’s victory over Glasgow the day after Anthony Foley’s funeral in 2016.
Glasgow, coached by now Scotland boss Gregor Townsend, were flying, Munster were compromised by poor form and the pre-match anguish of Foley’s loss, yet on the day, the Scots could not cope with the sheer fury of the red jerseys at every point of contact.
Those motivating triggers were extreme and tragic but it emphasised the potency of the old Irish rugby adage that it is not the size of the dog in the fight that matters, but the size of the fight in the dog. Ireland need that fight and dog this weekend and through to the World Cup.
For all the tactical intricacies and pre-planned plotting of the modern game, traditional passions still carry weight. The Scots are buzzing, and talented, and at home but if Ireland bring the right emotional intensity, it will be not be a case of ‘four?’ but ‘fore!’ as they rain down the heat on their hosts.
Lose that essential battle for the second week in succession, and Schmidt’s men are truly in the rough.
‘We were very quiet before the game. I didn’t sense the same energy levels’