Ireland looking for instant lift in Eternal City
Rome win can be a boost for long-term
AFTER a shaky start to their Six Nations campaign, Ireland will look to get back on track with a moraleboosting win against Italy in Rome this afternoon and Robbie Henshaw has called on this squad to start delivering on its potential. Despite dominating possession and territory in their opening two matches of the championship, Andy Farrell’s side fell to disappointing defeats to Wales and France. Now, Ireland will seek to turn the page in the Stadio Olimpico with young guns such as Craig Casey and Ryan Baird poised to make their Test debuts from the bench. And experienced centre Henshaw, who will win his 50th Ireland cap today, believes the future is bright for the under-fire national team. ‘I think we need to go and back ourselves, have full confidence in the group that is selected,’ said the 27year-old Leinster midfielder. ‘We know it’s not going to be easy by any means, I think Italy are showing up and they’ve shown some really good pieces of place, particularly against England, and France, and scored lovely tries. ‘They’re quite a young side that backs themselves, so I think, first and foremost, we need to have that in our head, that we get our basics right on the day first and we don’t
FOR Andy Farrell and this Ireland squad, all roads lead to Bordeaux on September 9, 2023. That is the day when the national team will begin their World Cup campaign. A pool clash with ‘Europe 2’ — the yet unqualified Tier 2 minnow — followed by meeting with ‘Asia/Pacific 1’ (perhaps Samoa) should be a handy introduction to the tournament before the big games against South Africa and Scotland.
Then again, everyone thought Eddie O’Sullivan’s Ireland would encounter little resistance against Namibia and Georgia back in 2007. We all know how that panned out.
The World Cup is the last thing on Farrell’s mind at the moment anyway. Whatever about building towards the global showpiece in two and a half years, the Ireland head coach needs to get this ship back on course this afternoon in Rome.
Ireland should get their first win of the championship today. A victory featuring some attacking verve, a dominant and efficient set-piece and a solid defensive display would do this squad the world of good. A bit of confidence and momentum heading towards Scotland and England in March.
The sight of Craig Casey and Ryan Baird entering the fray for their first caps as well as some ballast from Jack Conan off the bench and it could be a nice day’s work. A few positive headlines and some feel-good factor would be welcome after a grim few weeks.
All of a sudden, people could be talking about 2023 with fresh enthusiasm. After weeks of negative coverage about this team’s stuttering attack and defensive clangers, the narrative could be moved to the future and what the likes of Casey and Baird can bring in the coming years and whether Ronan Kelleher and Will Connors can nail down starting berths in the pack.
That is the ideal scenario for Farrell.
If his troops deliver another messy, error-strewn performance — especially against a team on a 29-game losing streak in the Six Nations — then the backlash will be furious again. Another rest week is on the horizon as well. There is plenty dead air in weeks like that and the ex-players and pundits will flood the airwaves to offer their views on this team’s failings.
Interestingly, Farrell recalled Ireland’s last visit to the Stadio Olimpico in 2019 this week. There was a sense back then that the wheels were coming off Joe Schmidt’s well-oiled outfit of 2018 and there was fresh evidence that afternoon.
The visitors were all over the place in the first half, trailing 1612 at the break. The try they conceded just before half-time was such a comedy of errors, you almost expected to hear the Benny Hill theme playing over the PA system as Italy capitalised on myriad Irish mistakes. Ireland would steady the ship in the second half and grind out a 26-16 win.
‘A couple of years ago, I felt we didn’t get the blend right over there and it came across as sloppy at times,’ said Farrell earlier this week.
‘Last year at the Aviva, I thought our attitude was spot on and hopefully we can do the same in Rome on Saturday.’
Despite all of Ireland’s recent problems, you would think that this team has enough quality to avoid such a mess again. The pack is laced with game breakers, from Dave Kilcoyne to Tadhg Beirne while Connors can be the perfect link man to augment this all-Leinster backline.
Farrell denied that he was wearing blue-tinted glasses earlier this week, stating his selections were based on individual form and not on provincial combinations. However, in a week where he spoke about being cohesive and clinical, it seems like he is hoping that the familiarity of the Leinster backs can bring some clarity to an attack which has lacked cutting edge in the opening rounds.
It’s a big day for Jordan Larmour, who has not started a game for Ireland in a year. You think back to his hat-trick against Italy in Chicago at the end of 2018 when he was poised to become Ireland’s
next superstar. A combination of form, defensive issues and injury has disrupted his progress. Hugo Keenan is looking like the long-term option at full-back with every passing week while James Lowe and Jacob Stockdale are set to fight it out for the left-wing slot in the coming years.
Back-three spots are filling up fast and Larmour needs to prove that he has the all-round game to be a starter. Keith Earls might be in the final years of his career but he is highly-rated by Farrell while the likes of Robert Baloucoune, Shane Daly and Will Addison should be part of the selection debate heading towards 2023.
A quick look at the age profile of the Italians: Jacopo Trulla (20), Paolo Garbisi (20), Stephen Varney (19) and Michele Lamaro (22), tells you everything you need to know about what they’re building towards. Apart from Johnny Sexton, every other player in this Ireland squad will be thinking the same way. Selecting an out-half and captain who is highly unlikely to be around for the big one in France seems a bit short-sighted. Farrell needs his veteran conductor-in-chief to get the job done this afternoon, however. A morale-boosting win is his top priority.