LAST week’s piece on the World Cup started with the thought that some fans might have regretted getting up for the USA game. One week on and people will be talking about where they were for the Ireland versus Australia game. It seems that the only people who truly believed that Ireland could beat the Aussies was indeed the Irish squad. The bookies, national and international media had written off Ireland’s hopes and with good cause.
Ireland had been struggling for form. Australia are the Tri Nations champions and we had just struggled to beat the USA.
What could have made such a difference? If you analyse the game for a moment, Ireland’s performance is made all the more amazing. If someone was to say to you, Heaslip, Sexton, Kearney and O’Driscoll would all be below par for the entire game, the hope of a win would be miniscule.
This happened. Unlike other days though, messrs Best, Healy, Ross, O’Connell, Ferris, O’Brien and O’Gara played to a level never before seen from them in a green shirt.
The game plan was simple. Keep the ball in front of your forwards. The first half saw Ireland squander points from Sexton’s boots, but the team kept faith with the system.
If you muted the TV and watched the game in black and white it could so easily have been a PBC versus Munchins game or a Munster versus Wasps encounter. This win, was classic Kidney.
People, including this scribe, had totally under estimated the Kidney factor.
When asked this week what effect Declan Kidney had on a side, former Munster and Ireland captain Anthony Foley had these words,
“I think some people might underestimate Declan, but all you have to do with work with Declan Kidney to know what he is about. He is a massive influence on everything his teams do. He takes everything personal. He is a great professional. He makes sure everyone in the squad, no matter who you are, the importance of the squad as a whole and the importance of their role in the squad and to the team. He gets the best out of everyone. He works off of the phrase, “enjoy the now” and they would have done that, but the minute the celebrations were over, the focus would have turned to the Russla game. That is the kind of fella he is”.
That sense of squad work ethic is shining through like a lighthouse leading the way to the promised land of the later stages of the World Cup. One only has to look at the performances of both Reddan and Murray to know that everyone on the squad is fighting for the starting roles and that once they get the chance to wear the green jersey, they will give their all.
The win over the Wallabies will go down in history as one of Ireland’s greatest ever rugby wins. The manner of the defeat shook the rugby World.
The excessively over confident Australians did not know what to do once Ireland came at them from all angles.
The win now sees Ireland in pole position to top the group and face either Wales or Samoa in the quarter finals. The win also sees the potential scenario for all Tri Nation teams to be in the same side of the draw, with the top four six nations sides in the other.
The World Cup will truly be a global event should that scenario arise.
The win over the Wallabies matters for nothing of course if Ireland cannot finish out the group with two wins. This Sunday morning the Irish take on Russia at 06.00, while the final pool game still looks rather tricky as the Italians lie in wait on October 2.
Finally, with Ronan O’Gara looking to retire and Brian O’Driscoll looking more and more mortal, Ireland know more than ever that this is it for the golden generation. The oldest average aged squad in the tournament might just be like a New Zealand wine. Getting better with age.
If Ireland can beat Australia, who knows what can happen.
