Scotland bullied us in 2017... we cannot let that happen again
THEY’LL be noisier, angrier, more motivated than ever to claim Murrayfield as a home away from home. What Ireland will most certainly not be, when they take on Scotland in Edinburgh this afternoon, is dramatically different.
There is an ‘elegant simplicity’ to Joe Schmidt’s style of play, according to Grand Slam winner Jamie Heaslip. You don’t throw that out after one loss.
Yes, there is some pressure on players to demonstrate at least a nodding familiarity with independent free thinking when times get tough, as they surely did in their opening loss to England in Dublin.
But even head coach Schmidt shaking up the starting XV signals a change in tone, with the return of Sean O’Brien cranking the volume all the way up to 11, rather than wholesale revolution.
Heaslip, who happily recalls enjoying some of the most celebrated days of his career in a certain stadium on the west side of Scotland’s capital, is looking forward to being back for more than just personal reasons.
The former No8, whose three Championship titles include the ’09 Slam and the weird Irish takeover of Murrayfield in ’15, sees today’s match as crucial to both teams — and bristling with the kind of uncertainty that makes sport so addictive.
Will Finn Russell be as imperious with the boot as he was against Italy?
Will Ireland find a way to get beyond the gain line, something they singularly failed to achieve in the loss to England?
Will the visitors’ bus arrive in good time, unlike two years ago?
How will Schmidt’s lads fare, mentally, on the back of such a painful defeat?
To these posers, Heaslip adds one of his own, telling Sportsmail: ‘The question is do they have a Plan B?
‘England matched and nullified Ireland’s Plan A last week. It will be interesting to see if Scotland employ the same tactics.
‘That shouldn’t entirely be up to Joe, though, to come up with something different during a game. He can’t take to the field with the players.
‘It’s down to the leadership group, sometimes, to assess things during a game and say: “Look, this isn’t working, we’ve got to do something different, maybe play for more territory”.
‘But Ireland’s game is elegant in its simplicity. And it works. If you have weak traits as a team, or if one individual has a particular weakness, they will exploit it.
‘They are ruthless in possession. They will punish you. There is something kind of elegant in that, in the way they starve the opposition of ball and territory.
‘But it was exposed by England, who slowed everything down.
‘Ireland were taking the ball standing still, often five metres behind the gain line. You get hit there and all momentum is lost.
‘The real test of a good side is how they bounce back from a loss. Especially in a competitive game, against top-quality opposition with their tails up.
‘I think we were all interested to hear Joe Schmidt make the point about his team being too quiet against England.
‘That’s why he has brought Sean O’Brien into the back row — because he is a huge voice.
‘It’s quite harsh on Josh van der Flier, who had a brilliant game against England.
‘But Joe is looking for an extra voice on the park. It can’t just be left to Johnny Sexton and Peter O’Mahony all the time. Ireland need others to step forward.
‘They are definitely going to front up. Last time at Murrayfield, they came off second best to Scotland. I was on the field at the time, unfortunately.
‘I remember the Scots came up with one or two trick plays. I also remember them bullying us. Ireland can’t let that happen again. They will come out of the gates flying, on the front foot.’
Every team wants to impose themselves, especially in a Six Nations fixture. But merely desiring victory has never been enough. Least of all in rugby, with its myriad complexities.
There are technical and tactical match-ups aplenty in today’s contest, Heaslip admitting: ‘I’m keen to see if Scotland can employ the deft kicking of Finn Russell, who showed such variety against Italy.
‘Ireland didn’t win the kicking game against England and that’s something they’re not used to.
‘Finn is playing some amazing footie for Racing 92 and his kicking game is fantastic. Rob Kearney coming back at full-back will make a difference for Ireland. He’s vastly experienced and one of the best in the game.
‘But that’s still a lot of territory to cover at the back. And he does not have the most experienced guys on both wings.
‘Yes, Keith Earls has a hell of a lot of caps. But this is only Jacob Stockdale’s second Six Nations, so he can be targeted.
‘England did that for one of their tries, putting a great kick in behind him. But he will be disappointed with how he coped with it, spilling the ball over the try line.’
The Irish will be wary of Scotland for a number of reasons, not least the famous matchday traffic in Edinburgh. For what it’s worth, Heaslip thinks the row over Ireland’s late arrival at the stadium in 2017 was ‘blown way out of proportion’.
Of greater concern to him is what Gregor Townsend might have up his sleeve for the visitors.
‘We all have great respect for Vern Cotter and Gregor Townsend as coaches,’ added Heaslip, a three-time Heineken Cup winner with Leinster and now loving life behind the mic as part of the BBC analysis team.
‘I’ve come across their teams at international and club level — and they’re always very good.
‘Gregor is in charge now and look how he transformed Glasgow. That was really impressive.
‘He has clearly been trying to instil that same culture in the Scotland camp.
‘Both Gregor and Joe have a system where they can just slot players in.
‘It’s similar to what New Zealand do. Rather than trying to just find one superstar and rely on his ability, you build a system that works and have players who can drop in and out.
‘This is a pivotal game for both sides, with the break coming up right after it.
‘I have a special affection for Murrayfield — I’ve had some of my biggest moments there. I won the Heineken Cup there, I won the Six Nations there.
‘And, in our Grand Slam season, I had a big personal moment. I’d been dropped the week before, came on at Murrayfield and scored a try.
‘The scenes in 2015 were probably my best moment. What made it great was that we were watching England and France at the post-match function, with all our families around us.
‘Normally, you win something on the field. Your family might be in the stand, but they’re not actually with you.
‘So this was a rare joy, having our families standing right with us as we won the championship.
‘And then going back out into the stands, to see how many Irish fans had stayed behind — and how many Scots were celebrating with us — was something else.’
The Irish have been in anything but a celebratory mood in the six days since being battered by England in.
You would expected them to have rediscovered their voices, and their appetite for a right good tear-up, by kick-off today.