Rise of Great expectations

JULIAN Bennetts: Ireland’s victory over New Zealand has triggered an explosion of interest. What impact will the result have?

Ian McGeechan: You couldn’t have had a better start. It was a fantastic display. It wasn’t a fluke either. Joe Schmidt proved just how clever a coach he is. It’s a pity that New Zealand are not playing any of the other home unions. It would have been nice to see England, Wales or Scotland against them.

Gavin Mairs: Warren Gatland was in Chicago. Does he look at that result and say “my job is harder now” because New Zealand will react to this defeat? Or is there any sense that the result has taken away some of the mystique of playing against the All Blacks because one of the home unions has already beaten them?

McGeechan: I think it does. I think Ireland have proved very straightforward things. You can’t afford to make mistakes against New Zealand, everybody knows that, and Ireland actually managed it. That’s the key. Simple, really.

Mick Cleary: They only gave away four penalties.

McGeechan: And had kick-offs to win the ball back, not merely to restart. If you want to stop New Zealand attacking, keep the ball. There is no doubt, though, that the absence of [lock] Brodie Retallick made a difference.

Cleary: But that in itself is illuminating. We all assumed New Zealand rugby had a conveyor belt of players in every position. But this has shown that they are fallible. Suddenly you take out world-class players in Retallick and Sam Whitelock and actually the next two men in aren’t as effective.

McGeechan: England are in the same boat this week with injuries to the second row, but even if Courtney Lawes weren’t fit [although it looks as if he is], leaving them three top secondrows short, they can still play Joe Launchbury and Dave Attwood. Ireland’s victory highlighted how important second row has become to the team. It used to be backs and back-row – now it is backs and back five. You are looking to get players right through the team who can have a major impact so that you become less predictable. New Zealand need their top XV out on the field. The Ireland game is a template for how you can take the game away from New Zealand. That is what the Lions have to do.

Mairs: Ireland attacked the New Zealand line-out and they struggled. Ireland were almost happy for the ball to be kicked off the pitch because they knew they had the All Black line-out under pressure.

Cleary: So much for upbeat Ireland. Wales’s defeat by Australia?

McGeechan: Wales were so poor upfront. For some reason they don’t start the autumn or Six Nations well. It also shows how clever Michael Cheika is. Australia concentrated on the front five and their impact on the contact areas. Their accuracy there meant that their backrow could play differently. One thing England did in the summer was to challenge them front five-wise and Michael Hooper and David Pocock were scrambling around and so their impact was negligible.

Bennetts: Do you think that reports of Australia’s demise were greatly exaggerated when England did what they did in the summer?

McGeechan: No, because I think they had it wrong upfront. I think their front five didn’t perform. England found them out.

Cleary: Eddie Jones has brought clarity to England’s game and got more from each player.

McGeechan: I think he has given players confidence. Billy Vunipola and George Ford are better players than they were. I think he has challenged George to defend and to get up into people’s faces . . . Owen Farrell is the most underestimated player in the England team. You talk about Test match animals and that is what Owen brings to the England side.

Cleary: So, should there be an expectation of going four from four for England?

McGeechan: I don’t see why not, even with the injuries, and I think he will be telling the players that . . . You want England trying to finish the year unbeaten. It would be the pressure situation that Warren Gatland would love to see . . .

Bennetts: South Africa? Fortunate even to get a draw against the Barbarians. Are the Boks being written off too soon?

McGeechan: Yes. England are favourites for Saturday. South Africa have good rugby players. Their secondrow options are very strong with Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Pieter-Steph du Toit. — The Daily Telegraph