KEARNEY IS KEY MAN
Veteran inspired Ireland and must be in World Cup team
‘KEARNEY WAS THE MOST EFFECTIVE BALL CARRIER IN GREEN’
THIS country still needs its old men. Along with a return to victory in Edinburgh, the importance of Joe Schmidt’s veterans was the valuable lesson to be learned after an occasionally skittish but highly satisfying triumph.
Ireland’s old stagers are the men that inspired them to standards that were too much for New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, England and France over the past two seasons.
This was a reminder they will be the men Schmidt trusts with being true to his plans for the World Cup as well.
That will be contingent upon injury, of course, but the team is just better when its most tested components are included.
Rob Kearney’s marvellous display was, on its own, exuberant proof of this.
Some of his fellow decorated vets struggled in other ways, but they will be required for the steep climbs ahead.
Early Scottish pressure meant Ireland started this weekend where they finished last: in acute discomfort.
It meant an examination of Ireland’s senior players. Rory Best had to contend with a lineout throw five metres from the Irish line, from precisely the position where he wobbled against England.
His age and the nature of his performance against the English exhumed some old doubts, but he survived the early examination here.
So did Kearney, as the last line of Irish resistance. His future in Schmidt’s team looked grey and limited when Robbie Henshaw was chosen in the No15 jersey against England.
But circumstances returned Kearney to the team, and a man of his long years at a high level, as well as his determination and pedigree, will not easily surrender it again.
A third Irish greybeard endured a tumultuous start and, eventually, a day that was ruthlessly, at times sneakily curtailed.
Johnny Sexton was hit hard and often late by a blitzing Scottish defence, and his travails were shared by team-mates swamped by Scotland’s aggression. The plan followed by England in Dublin was happily re-run by Gregor Townsend.
Sexton seemed to spend lots of time with the medics or on one knee, gasping in air that had just been battered out of him by a Scotsman.
He eventually had to surrender to the urging of the medics after 23 minutes when he was replaced by Joey Carbery. A switch that was initially flagged as temporary was made permanent at the break.
Sexton is a big man and long enough on the go to contest any claims of fragility, but he could be built from Kevlar and he would still suffer given the way opposition teams now go after him.
The manner in which Carbery was intercepted by Finn Russell before Scotland’s first try less than seven minutes later was a reminder that youth and fresh faces do not guarantee instant improvement, but the understudy has been learning his lines.
He was flawless when scything through two weak Scottish tackles before wafting a pass off his left hand into the guts of Keith Earls for Ireland’s third try after a taut third quarter of the match.
The old will eventually have to give way to the new, but ideally Schmidt would like to see Andy Farrell dealing with that transition; for the next nine months, he will want his veterans presenting for duty.
As well as Carbery did, then, the loss of Sexton to injury is a concern to weigh against that encouragement.
Ireland’s reluctance to keep hold of the ball and try to inch their way into control in the Scottish half was one of the odder aspects of the game.
Given that they had Cian Healy Quinn Roux, Sean O’Brien and Chris
Farrell to use as freight, it looked a miscalculation.
It was Kearney, in fact, who was probably the most effective ballcarrier in green.
In the 15 minutes after half time in particular, when the outcome of the match could not be called with much confidence, he broke through the home defence repeatedly. None of them put a teammate under the posts, but they did expose cracks in the blue line, and they also brought relief to an Irish defence that had been sieged in the second quarter.
It was leadership in action, and was one more feature of an excellent return to the starting 15.
Only misfortune will shift him from there between now and Japan. Kearney will not be moved again, by Henshaw or anyone else Schmidt may care to try before Ireland meet the Scots again in September.
Neither will Sexton, but his value to the side is matched by the need to keep him fit.
He should be left in the stands for the match against Italy in two weeks’ time.
Best could also be left with his feet up that day, but one old-timer will not be inclined to accept a day off.
Kearney is back and Ireland are on track. It’s no coincidence that one followed the other.