When interest becomes ratcheted up in the PRO-14 rugby, the conclusion that you are well down the rungs of the ladder in terms of seeking sporting salvation becomes an unavoidable truth. However, regardless of the merits of the level of competition therein, with the four Irish teams currently excelling, it has a particularly renewed zing to it at present.
The fact that Bank Of Ireland are currently backing all four provincial teams simultaneously may be purely co-incidental but if it was a planned move it could scarcely have come about at a better time. Though in a cruelly ironic twist, with there being no semi finals in the subsidiary competition this season it will mean that essentially, only one of the quartet will record what could be counted as noteworthy progress.
Mind you, that is exactly where the good news story might emerge from. For more than a decade Leinster have – in the games which really counted – created quite a chasm between themselves and the other Irish regions. Lately, however, that gap has, notionally at least, been to closing.
To the extent that, only Munster’s deficiencies at fly half is really making the red corner’s distance from their blue rivals look greater than may actually need be the case. Though the following is ventured with an overdose of caution, it would seem a fairly hopeful wager that said one outstanding factor may at least be on the way to being eliminated thanks to the long awaited return to action of the luckless and injury-prone Joey Carbery during Friday’s win over Cardiff.
Sources close to the action in the Leinster camp would still maintain that the Athy man is in fact at his most productive when located at full back. This corner would beg to differ. If only owing to the fact that he represents the able and obvious answer to the southern province’s major malfunction at No. 10 which has brrn festering since the departure of Ronan O’Gara in 2013.
Whatever about Munster, Andy Farrell surely won’t have any complaints either should the New Zealand-born 25-year-old become an option for the national side. Time and tide waits for no man, woman, child or beast, thus, with Johnny Sexton having already signalled that his race is nearly run, auditions for the lead role are well under way.
Ross Byrne is deservedly in the driving seat to assume to role in his stead, but, whereas Sexton was anointed to take over from ROG, when the man with the strong Munster heritage does take his leave, there will be a shortlist of likely lads auditioning for the main part.
From Byrne, to Ulster’s Billy Burns, Jack Carty of Connacht and, in fact, the latest classy addition to the Leinster conveyor belt of half back talent, Harry Byrne, younger brother of Ross. Carbery potentially offers the most of all of them and his return was another welcome modicum of good news for under fire coach Andy Farrell.
Or if he wasn’t under fire he should have been. Since the former Wigan Rugby League star and father of England ‘talking horse’ Owen replaced Joe Schmidt Ireland have been limping along like a player trying to run off a hamstring lnjury.
Reservations regarding the brand of rugby Farrell and his coaching group seem to have carried on from the previous regime remain – particularly the obsession with box-kicking the ball back to the opposition. But, almost by accident, in the win over Italy, they may have stumbled upon a remedy.
Now, at this juncture, the obvious caveat that the past weekend’s improvement was against the poor relations of international rugby, Italy, must be applied. Be that as it may, the old maxim says that you can only beat what’s in front of you. And, on their redemption mission following the abject disappointments against Wales and France, Farrell’s forces moved the ball quicker and with more variety than has been seen for long enough that the team’s form had regressed significantly.
The fact that Conor Murray’s performances have diminished since he incurred a serious neck injury has been well dissected here previously. It is also necessary, though, to point out that the Garryowen clubman’s creative side has been stifled unnecessarily by a combination of Schmidt and Farrell’s obsession with kicking the ball in open play.
Whether that was down to a management decision or the players took it upon themselves is unclear but there’s no doubt – even allowing for the sub par calibre of last weekend’s opposition – that the increased emphasis on keeping ball in hand was both more attractive and effective.
Why wouldn’t they go through the forwards when Ireland currently possess arguably the best back row in world rugby. Not only that, throughout the pack they have multiple top options for each spot. Front row options were amply demonstrated with the resurgent Dave Kilcoyne and the ever dependable, solid Andrew Porter putting in effective shifts when coming in off the bench. Most significant of the lot, though, was surely the return of Tadhg Furlong.
The Wexford colossus is one of those special players who become so much more than just a cog in a wheel. A figurehead who fellow players look up to and and fans latch onto just as they did with Keith Wood, Brian O’Driscoll, ‘The Bull’ Hayes and Paul O’Connell. So in one sense there are reasonable grounds to be hopeful going forward.
However, all of the above doesn’t disguise the fact that the heady days of conquering the All Blacks in Soldier Field in Chicago feels as far away as does the ability to live one’s life – or in this case as much thereof as is possible – as is pleased without bowing to the commandments of the all-powerful, largely invisible overlords.
Ireland’s form stagnating would be a worrisome enough at any time but when other sides like France, Wales and, in particular, Scotland, are on an upsurge in form it absolutely keeps the positives derived from the 48-10 Italian job in perspective.
England, on the other hand, appear to be in such a decline that, knowing the way in which the press over yonder operate, there will probably be calls for the defenestration of the services of the ridiculously over-rated Eddie Jones. All of which, you’d think, should auger well for Ireland going forward. Saturday’s win, though, will only count for something if it’s backed up.
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