Connacht’s Bundee jump!
New Ireland executive have failed to fill void left by O’Connell/BOD
HIGH-FLYING Connacht extended their lead at the top of the PRO12 after securing a hard-fought, bonus-point victory away to Edinburgh last night. Tries from AJ MacGinty, Jake Heenan, Bundee Aki and Eoin McKeon helped see off a stirring comeback from the hosts and seal a 28-23 victory. Pat Lam’s side are now six points clear of second-placed Leinster, who host Ospreys today. Ulster remain fourth after easing to a comfortable 32-0 victory over lowly Zebre at Kingspan Stadium last night.
IT was always going to be a tough task for Ireland to demonstrate there is vibrant Six Nations life after losing its pair of world- class legends, Paul O’ Connel land Brian O’Driscoll, to retirement in recent years.
Until this season, there were just three occasions in 80 championship matches this millennium — Italy 2000, Scotland 2012 and England 2012 — when the country took the field without having at least one of their influential pair in the starting line-up.
However, with 2009 Grand Slam skipper O’Driscoll off-limits since earning the last of his 133 Test caps in March 2014 and 2014-2015 backto- back title - winning skipper O’Connell no more after his 108th cap in the October World Cup pool-clinching win over France, other players needed to step up and fill the enormous leadership deficit.
Doing so has been a struggle, though, Ireland relinquishing their Six Nations title just three deflating games into their five-match 2016 campaign.
Here, Sportsmail runs the rule over a quartet who were seen as vital in taking up the leadership baton, assessing where it went wrong for them in their wretched winless February…
RORY BEST
(AGE: 33 CAPS: 92) HE can be an inspiring captain. Ask anyone in Ulster. In January they were 23 points behind at Oyonnax at the break and went back out to win by a point following an impassioned speech from the hooker.
However, the pressure taking over from O’Connell has seen him struggle to argue Ireland’s case with referees and negatively impact on the stellar performances we had come to expect and cherish from the robust hooker.
He wouldn’t be the first whose form suffered as skipper — Jamie Heaslip struggled when he succeeded O’Driscoll for the 2013 campaign that resulted in Ireland’s lowest finish (fifth) since the 1998 whitewash.
Best needs to quickly get back to what he usually does best, leading by exemplary actions. The classic poach position isn’t somewhere he has been spotted this term, unlike a year ago when he won three turnovers during the successful title push.
His lineout throwing has also wavered and he is less conspicuous on the ball in general play, making just a dozen carries this term compared to 18 in last year’s first three games.
He needs to work on a mechanism that dilutes the pressure of being the Test skipper and get his lineout throwing f i ring to i ts f ormer precision.
JOHNNY SEXTON
(AGE: 30 CAPS: 59) SEXTON’S form is on the rise, the out-half making 93 metres off 15 carries, beating seven defenders and managing three clean breaks last month compared to 68 metres off 18 carries in last year’s corresponding fixtures against Wales, France and England where no defenders were beaten or clean breaks made. His tackling stats are also eye-catching, missi ng just four of 29 compared to six of 12 in the same games l ast term. However, his rewards have been much reduced, Sexton’s 25-point haul down on last year’s 40 against the big three.
A preference for touch in the 22 instead of shooting at the posts has militated, Ireland ignoring kickable penalty points to chase elusive tries off an ineffective lineout maul. Sexton’s boot also needed to be much more of a defensive influence in giving his underpressure pack a first-half breather last weekend in London and during the second half in Paris.
This shortcoming betrayed lack of leadership on his part and, given his combination of injury blows this season, it would be prudent to start a different out-half against Italy now the title i s beyond Ireland.
The IRFU highlighted Ian Madigan’s inexperience in starting for injured Sexton as a key reason for World Cup quarter-final elimina- tion and this lack of an alternative should be tackled Saturday. The add- on benefit of starting either Madigan or Paddy Jackson is that Sexton would be much fresher for the tougher March 19 assignment against Scotland.
ROB KEARNEY
(AGE: 29 CAPS: 69) HE is suffering from a lack of fluency, with injury restricting him to just 13 games in 31 weeks — a halfdozen starts for Leinster mining 403 minutes and 496 Test minutes coming in six Ireland starts and one run as sub.
The full-back missed the opener against Wales, and his lack of usual stand- out f orm i n Paris and London means the debate that Joe Schmidt should be picking on form — and Payne was the form provincial full-back in January given Kearney was part of the Leinster defence embarrassed at Wasps — hasn’t abated.
Kearney made 110 metres off 19 February carries, nine metres less with the same amount of carries in l ast year’s two games against France and England. He has also beaten three defenders less than last year’s half- dozen, while his influence with his sturdy left boot has waned, kicking just twice in 160 minutes compared to seven kicks in the same two 2015 matches.
This shortfall was particularly evident at Twickenham; Kearney not kicking at all when Ireland needed
a kicking game to relieve pressure. In contrast, he kicked on five occasions when England were blown away by aerial work 12 months ago.
Questions must also be asked about his defensive marshalling in London. As the back field’s most experienced player, he should have warned the Robbie Henshaw-Stuart McCloskey axis from getting sucked in along with the wingers. Instead, England had two walk-in tries.
(AGE: 29 CAPS: 34) CERTAIN Toner stats are just as positive as Sexton’s when compared to 2015 — the second is row on a mission to contribute more. He generated 27 metres off 15 carries last month, an increase from 10 metres off nine carries against the same opposition last season.
His is also tackling more, pulling off 29 of 32 tackles compared to 22 from 22 a year ago, and he even managed to win a turnover. However, this additional energy-spend has distracted from his primary functions — efficiently running the lineout and locking down the scrum now that O’Connell has retired. However, while he has won a dozen lineouts compared to just seven catches in the same three fixtures in 2015, he should be calling even more throws on himself given his height at the front of the lineout.
Too many penalties have been kicked to the 22 and lost, the throw going to players further back towards the tail with a view to setting up the maul further infield. His scrummaging on the tighthead side is also suspect (he was on the loosehead side when O’Connell was around), with too many penalties conceded by a shunted pack on the opposition put-in.
Toner himself has conceded three penalties in general play and there is a school of thought he should be left out against Italy, giving an alternative some Six Nations starting experience.
DEVIN TONER