After their worst start to a Six Nations, pressure is on Ireland to find their rhythm and blow Italy away
YESTERDAY, Ireland’s schedule for the 2023 World Cup in France was announced. If they’re going to do anything other than repeat the same old mistakes at that tournament, they need to start showing signs of progress against Italy.
Today’s opponents have lost 29 Six Nations fixtures in a row. A composition of players from the two worst teams in the PRO14, they have shipped 91 points in their two games so far this season. Ireland are 21-point favourites to win in Rome today.
It is not unusual for coaches to park reality when they speak about the opposition, but when Andy Farrell described the Azzurri as a “dangerous” opponent he’s not lying.
If his team do the unthinkable and lose at the Stadio Olimpico, then the blow could be fatal and someone else could be in charge when Ireland hit Bordeaux in two and a half years.
If they fail to perform and manage an underwhelming win, then there will be a renewed focus on their decline. Farrell has prioritised performance over progress.
His team is full of players who have realistic ambitions of making the Lions squad this summer.
He has restored his 35-year-old captain Johnny Sexton and his deputy, the dynamic James Ryan who forms what looks like the firstchoice second-row pairing with Iain Henderson.
Tadhg Furlong is back and, while Andrew Porter has done excellently in the Wexford native’s absence, the first-choice tighthead is a worldleader in his position on his day.
What makes Ireland’s muddled attack so hard to understand is the calibre of players delivering the poor performances with ball in hand. With the sun on their backs, a backline that contains an in-form Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose should rip Italy apart. A back-three of Hugo Keenan, James Lowe and Jordan Larmour should be out to have some fun and rack up a score.
Impressive
Dangerous? Certainly, Italy have been a more impressive attacking side than Ireland to date and their head coach Franco Smith is a smart operator.
They are, however, inexperienced and prone to damaging mistakes. Their defence is poor and they miss too many tackles.
Farrell has picked a team full of experience and cohesion. The all-Leinster backline should function as a unit well, the forwards combine plenty of ball-carrying might and set-piece strength.
And yet, there’s a nagging doubt in the air. For two weeks, Ireland’s attacking impotence has been the subject of intense focus while their defensive weakness is also concerning.
The selection of Rónan Kelleher is exciting, but it comes with a risk that the set-piece solidity that has underpinned the good parts of Ireland’s game could be undermined.
Yet, the value of bringing through the dynamic 23-year-old ahead of the functional Rob Herring is clear. Farrell needs him to take his chance.
If Italy can create doubt in Irish minds, then they’ll scent blood. Whether they’re good enough to go in for the kill remains to be seen.
It is easy to forget that, of Ireland’s last four visits to Rome, only one has been a rout.
In 2013, Declan Kidney met his Waterloo at the Stadio Olimpico, while Joe Schmidt’s first visit in 2015 was a bit of a slog. They ran riot in 2017, but the game two years ago almost went pear-shaped for a team already in the grips of decline.
The enduring image of that day will always be Sexton spitting the dummy as he is replaced by Jack Carty, summing up the frustration of a campaign that derailed Ireland’s entire World Cup cycle.
Two years’ on, he returns to the Italian capital a diminished figure but still the main man for his country.
Ireland need their veteran playmaker to play well and spark the lacklustre attack to avoid being sucked into a nightmare.
So far, they have had the quickest ruck ball in the tournament but it has generated one try in 160 minutes. Peter O’Mahony’s red card was obviously a factor in Cardiff, but a good team would do a lot more with that kind of possession.
They’ve dominated the ball with more passes and runs than any side, yet they’ve been hitting brick walls. Mike Catt’s attack is bottom of the table for line-breaks, offloads and ’22 visits which is problematic because only Italy have spent less time in the opposition danger zone.
This week, Catt called on the players to take better responsibilities.
Some interpreted that as the coach throwing his charges under the bus, but players at this level should be able to take what is fair criticism on the chin.
Responsibilities
However, the former England international needs to give the players a cohesive attacking framework to work from and that has been sorely absent in the first two weeks of this tournament.
This is not a ‘no-win’ game for Ireland. A good display can set them back on the right track ahead of their games against Scotland and England.
Another struggle will only heap more pressure on a struggling regime. Defeat may be unthinkable, but it’s not impossible for a team that struggled against Georgia in November. With this collection of players on the pitch, Ireland should be winning comfortably. They need a performance, it’s time they produced one.