Eddie’s eagles flying high
 A second
southern hemisphere side slayed in a week, a second victory over Australia
in 17 attempts and an unprecedented position as the second best Test side
in the world within sight. On a wretchedly weathered November evening,
the second last hurrah at the archaic rugby theatre of Lansdowne Road
proved to be a momentous day for Irish rugby.
Yet the greatest measure of this Irish team is the manner in which they
are now succeeding. While last week’s opposition were under-strength,
this was a fully primed Australian side with Stephen Larkham back at his
favoured stand-off position. When the golden boy of Australian rugby cut
a disinterested figure as he departed the field after 24 minutes, he perhaps
realised that his side were being thoroughly outclassed by a team oozing
genuine world class.
Indeed Sunday’s first-half performance may well have been the very
best witnessed in 128 years at the great old stadium. Statistics, they
say, don’t lie and Australia’s 68 first period tackles to
Ireland’s 12 were particularly honest. From Rory Best’s tunnel
vision throwing to Ronan O’Gara’s intricate interplay, the
home team simply made no errors. Australia defended magnificently and
a 15-3 half time deficit was their demoralising return.
And if the first-half demonstrated flawless continuity, the second was
a lesson in composure. The scrum struggled and the odd mistake crept in,
but the opposition scoreboard registered only a single Sterling Matlock
penalty. These may not have been the happiest of autumn tourists but even
the most eager of Australian sides would not have fazed Eddie O’Sullivan’s
increasingly unflappable men.
Having succumbed to late Australian pressure when the sides last met in
June, the poise shown in the second-half was particularly pleasing for
O’Sullivan. “We had a different job to do in the second half,”
admitted the Irish coach. “We knew we couldn’t go out and
defend a lead. It was about being patient and being careful with the ball.
It wasn’t pretty but it was effective.”
Pretty would be far too weak an assessment of a first-half performance
that rightly merited a standing ovation from a vocally rejuvenated Lansdowne
crowd. While it was the recalled Denis Hickie who grabbed a neat first
try, two moves involving another reinstated man, Geordan Murphy, summed
up Ireland’s relentless superiority best.
First the full-back was centimetres from touching down on 11 minutes but
it was the 21 phases of patient, flawless rugby before which warned of
Irish intent. Then when Murphy eventually got his side’s second
try on the stroke of half-time, it capped the kind of flowing total football
that Ritchie McCaw’s Kiwis would be proud of.
“I thought we were outstanding in the first half,” said an
understandably jubilant O’Sullivan afterwards. “We held onto
the football and didn’t give the Australian’s any possession
to play with. Our ball retention was excellent and we were rewarded with
two very good tries.”
It was a day of countless positives for the Irish coach. Ronan O’Gara
continued to exude confidence that can only reap benefits for the match
winners outside him. In his first home start, Isaac Boss sniped his way
into the reckoning as a serious alternative at scrum-half. While man-of-the-match
Neil Best performed like a man possessed in a back row that could now
be easily mistaken for the great English triumvirate of Back, Hill and
Dallaglio.
Next Sunday will see a handful of fringe men given a run against the Pacific
Islands to prove the depth of the 32 that will eventually travel to the
World Cup in 10 months time. There Ireland may well face the All Blacks,
then we will find out if the side now offically ranked third in the world
have what it takes to defeat the best — on Sunday’s evidence
it’s possible.
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