Farrell and Aki key to punching a hole in Welsh stone wall
THERE has been plenty of drama and intrigue already but this weekend’s showdown between Ireland and Wales in Lansdowne Road has the potential to be the game of the Six Nations Championship.
That said, it’s time to duck for cover when you see the Six Nations’ own social media channels hype next Saturday’s showdown as a summit between the tournament’s most potent attacking side and its stingiest defence.
Ireland may be top of the ladder heading into 2018’s round three, the first time they are unbeaten after two rounds since 2015, but to be flying the kite that they supposedly have the best attack is quite the misnomer. This is what happens when Italy annually skew the picture.
There is no denying Ireland looked good in scoring eight tries eight days ago against the Azzurri, their best try being the move that created Jacob Stockdale’s first score. But no one in their right mind would claim that this one-sided hit-out provided irrefutable evidence that they somehow now possess out-and-out cut and thrust for others to fear.
Dismissing the Italians by a runaway score can’t ever mask how Ireland continue to find tries difficult to come by against the championship’s better defences.
Of the 61 tries scored in 22 Six Nations games under Joe Schmidt since 2014, just a paltry dozen were dotted down against France (four in 400 minutes after round one’s latest shut-out this year), Wales (four in 320 minutes) and England (four as well in 320 minutes).
That is hardly a prolific record to put the fear of God into the Welsh and English as the tournament now steps up multiple levels for Ireland.
Solving this drought remains Schmidt’s biggest task, a puzzle that has got worse rather than better in recent times. When Ireland were winning back-to-back championships, they picked off their three main rivals for eight tries in six matches.
That figure has since fallen to four in seven and the absence of even a sniff of an Irish five-pointer materialising at Stade de France 15 days ago is the worry the coach must work towards finding a training ground solution before the cunning Welsh come to town.
It’s what he is paid the big bucks to do, solving problems and identifying options. But Ireland’s attack consistently seems to run out ideas if the tempo of their play slows to a trickle in the opposition 22.
This landscape won’t be helped by Robbie Henshaw’s season-ending shoulder injury creating a large void in the midfield. It was hoped a rare run of consecutive games in the 13 channel would see him bring a different vision to the role and help finesse the back-line attack.
But that aspiration has fallen by the wayside, leaving likely replacement Chris Farrell with big boots to fill if his partnership with Bundee Aki is given the go-ahead for a second run after the November win over Argentina. The key to enabling Ireland’s backs to wield influence, though, will be ensuring a brisk flow to ruck possession which didn’t exist in France on February 3. Three of the half-dozen infringements in Paris were for holding on while on the floor in possession, one of three penalty errors in Dublin last weekend for that exact same offence, and they will need to be on their guard against conceding more with Glen Jackson on the whistle.
The New Zealander refereed last year’s match in Rome, subjecting Schmidt’s side to a rare yellow card for a collapsed maul, but he left more of a sour taste in Port Elizabeth in June 2016, Ireland giving up 11 penalties to lose the series against the Boks and cry foul that Willie le Roux was only given yellow when his dangerous collision with Tiernan O’Halloran was a red card all day long.
This tainted history will have the Irish pack wary, particularly considering how Wales were able to go to Twickenham and only concede two penalties despite having to absorb so much pressure in last weekend’s narrow defeat to England.
They found a way to stay in the fight, keeping the hosts scoreless for nearly three-quarters of the match after leaking two early tries. This is the stone-wall defence that Schmidt must now negotiate a way through if Ireland’s title challenge is to take a huge step forward.
There is a fortress mentality when his team plays at Lansdowne Road, no championship match being lost so far on his watch. But he is bereft of a win home or away against the Welsh since hitting the ground running in Dublin in 2014, with 2016’s deflating draw the start of Irish inconsistencies which allowed England become backto-back champions.
Now comes the opportunity to rectify frustrations that were exasperated by the three tries to nil capitulation in Cardiff 11 months ago. ‘Maybe we are due some margin of luck to fall our way to get a result against them,’ suggested Schmidt before wrapping up midweek camp in the midlands.
Only relentless hard work will earn his team that good fortune.