Irish savaged by media
Struggling Six Nations champions Ireland have been savaged by their media after squeaking past Italy in Rome.
The result keeps their slender title hopes alive but they will need to do much more to convince their followers they are genuine World Cup contenders after the 26-16 come-from-behind win in Rome yesterday.
It was another disappointing and perplexing performance by Joe Schmidt’s team, who had given so much hope after beating the All Blacks last November as rugby heads towards this year’s World Cup in Japan.
‘‘This was as hollow as bonus point wins can be, a struggle from start to finish that saw Ireland’s poor Six Nations continue into round three,’’ the Irish Independent reported.
‘‘Ireland’s form dip will be of deep concern to coach Joe Schmidt. In the space of three months they’ve gone from dominating the world’s best team to struggling against a game, but limited Italian side.
‘‘Their lineout malfunctioned throughout, while their defence was stretched … and it was another abject day with ball in hand.’’
The Irish Examiner was equally critical, reporting: ‘‘Stuttering Ireland tiptoed out of Rome with an unconvincing victory, claiming the four-try bonus point but suffering a serious scare from Conor O’Shea’s men.
‘‘This was another Ireland performance littered with indiscipline and inaccuracy.
‘‘Ireland’s niggles were underlined by Johnny Sexton muttering angrily to himself and kicking out in frustration when he was replaced late.’’
The newspaper said there was no sign of the rhythm that Schmidt had hoped to see reemerge in Rome although there was one consolation.
‘‘That fluency continues to elude Ireland and their British and Irish Lions playmakers, but Schmidt’s men must at least be credited for emerging unscathed from a tricky situation.’’
The Daily Mail suggested Ireland had plenty of soulsearching to do.
Ireland moved into third place on the Six Nations table, one point behind England and three behind Wales.
Ireland host France in two weeks before their final match against unbeaten Wales in Cardiff.
‘‘These are worrying times for Ireland. For the third Six Nations round in a row, this squad will return to camp with more questions than answers,’’ the Daily Mail report said.
‘‘Why are they so sluggish in the early stages of games? Are they too predictable? Is this a preWorld Cup dip or a team in decline? Are Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton past their best?
‘‘There are some irrefutable truths. Ireland cannot go into a World Cup game without Devin Toner, their lineout operation looks vulnerable without him while Rory Best remains Ireland’s frontline hooker.’’
It said ‘‘everything else is up for debate’’ after an error-riddled performance.