Not easy to take the heat or humiliation
ON ONE of those long, scorching summer afternoons that my rose-tinted memory tells me were commonplace when I was a scrawny teenager, my friend’s mother remarked, ‘I wouldn’t mind the heat, but the humiliation would kill ya’, much to our amusement.
Of course, we all knew she meant humidity as we sniggered with hands covering our mouths, and that word was on some apologists’ lips during Ireland’s all too familiar ill-fated attempt to make any sort of impact on the global stage at the Rugby World Cup.
After getting carried away following victory over a piss-poor Scottish team, supporters used conditions as an excuse when we limped to defeat against a Japanese side which has markedly improved, but still should be no match for any team that fancies its chances of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup.
However, despite that shock defeat, many were still bigging up the Irish chances, claiming it was merely a blip and they would come good when it really mattered.
A couple of unspectacular, yet comfortable, wins followed as we limped into the last eight, and looking at the situation with a cool head it was blindingly obvious, given the team’s form, that there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of them toppling the mighty Kiwis.
As soon as we were torn asunder by the All Blacks, with the game being put to bed quicker than a whacked-out toddler, the excuse book was quickly opened up again, with those who never want to criticise claiming the world champions were simply unbeatable.
Fast forward to seven days later and when England illustrated what’s required to dump them out, some still maintained that they completely underperformed and if they’d played like that against Ireland we’d have taken them to the cleaners.
The fact is, a pumped-up England, who still managed to remain calm in the heat of battle, outmuscled, outthought and outclassed a team that a week earlier we were led to believe were a juggernaut that couldn’t be stopped.
New Zealand were completely dominated and never looked like scoring, apart from when they plundered a try that was gifted to them by a rare moment of English indecision.
The variety in England’s play was sensational and was in an entirely different league to Ireland’s tired, one-dimensional, up the jumper approach that has become as worn as a tyre on a clapped out jalopy.
Joe Schmidt did a lot of good for Irish rugby in his time at the helm but, despite the rankings telling us that his side were the number one in the world going into the tournament, the sense was that they looked too stale to make hay when it mattered.
The stark reality is Ireland are probably about the fifth or sixth best team at the moment, and it is a shocking indictment of what has gone over the years that the men from the Emerald Isle have yet to navigate their way past the quarter-finals of what is essentially an eight- or nine-team tournament.
The last six countries that have beaten Ireland in the knockout stages have gone on to taste defeat in the semi-finals, so the claim that they’re losing to the best can’t be put forward as an excuse.
We haven’t been unlucky, or come up against some unstoppable force, the reality is we simply haven’t been good enough.
Ireland, along with Italy, are the only Six Nations sides not to win a knockout game, and even Argentina have mixed it with the southern hemisphere’s big three, managing to reach the semi-final twice.
A rather smart bloke once said ‘the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results’. You can’t continue to blindly make excuses; there has to be a point where it has to be asked, what are we doing wrong?
You hear other countries talking of four-year cycles as they build towards trying to win the biggest prize in the game, whereas to the layman’s eyes Ireland seem to plod from one Six Nations to the next, never prioritising the World Cup.
Ireland’s approach has to be altered if there’s ever going to be a change in fortunes.
England, for example, seem to use the Six Nations as a training ground at times as they build for the bigger prize, whereas for Ireland it’s the be all and end all.
Eventually Ireland will have to look beyond the inflatable shamrock-waving celebrations in and around St. Patrick’s Day and focus on the wider picture.
After years of disappointment, I’m sure most supporters would put up with a few sub-standard Six Nations campaigns if they could peak for the World Cup in France in 2023 and actually have a decent shot of winning it.
After all that’s where a team really proves its worth and, in Ireland’s case, if you can’t take the heat it normally ends up in humiliation.
ARKLOW RFC’s under-16 girls kicked off their league challenge against a physically larger Barnhall side last Saturday at home.
The scale of the task was evident when the Barnhall side took to the pitch, however the Arklow side, who were depleted by injuries and holidays, did not shirk away and faced into challenge.
Strong running from Prudence Isaac helped secure valuable ground into the Barnhall half with great support play from Lara Prestage, Aine Hendley allowing Arklow keep Barnhall defending their tryline for early part of the game.
This pressure eventually paid off when Jane Neill crashed over just to the left of the posts. Emer Cullen was successful with the conversion.
However Barnhall responded quickly and some indecision in the Arklow defence allowed them cross for a try almost immediately leaving the score at 7-5 to the home side.
The Arklow side quickly regrouped, centre Emma made a fantastic line break, hard work
Suzie Murphy, Shannan Kinsella, Emma Keane, Prudence Isaac, Becky Vickers, Emer Cullen, Leah Hersee, Leah Cecil, Ciara Moore, Kerri Cleary, Clodagh Lee, Caoimhe Kelly Nolan, Lara Prestage, Jane Neill, Aine Hendley.