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Ireland must sink Scots
By Tony Tighe
 THE
Grand slam may have come and gone for another year but there’s still
a Triple Crown to aim for when Scotland visit Croke Park this Saturday.
Despite the defeat to France last weekend, Ireland finally showed some
of the free-flowing rugby we had all come to expect before the World Cup
shambles and the home faithful will be demanding more of the same against
the Scots.
That’s not to say they’ve turned the corner just yet though.
Their opening-half display against Les Bleus was shambolic to say the
least and perhaps the French could be accused of sitting back a bit too
comfortably after the break.
Despite having the majority of possession — a rarity when in the
Stade de France — the Irish failed to penetrate the home defence,
more often than not taking one step forward and two steps back before
a handling error or wasteful kick.
The French were much more economical with ball in hand, carving Ireland
open at every opportunity and having Eddie O’Sullivan fearing that
this was the end of his reign.
And of course it’s always handy to have a potential 100m sprinter
on the wing in Vincent Clerc, who terrorised Geordan Murphy, with the
Kildare man likely to make way for the return of Shane Horgan.
The second-half however was a vast improvement with Ronan O’Gara
once again emphasising his importance to the boys in green.
New boys Bernard Jackman, Rob Kearney and Jamie Heaslip all performed
admirably considering the surroundings, with Heaslip in particular proving
his worth at number eight.
It was to prove yet again a glorious defeat though and convincing victories
in the two remaining home games are a must for critics to agree that Ireland
have finally recovered from their World Cup hangover.
First up is Frank Hadden’s Scotland who look set to battle it out
with the Italians for the dreaded wooden spoon.
The Scots were embarrassed on their home patch by a rampant French side
in the opening game and they showed no signs of improvement last time
against Wales.
Tries have been hard to come by for Scotland with Chris Paterson responding
to his exclusion against the French by kicking all of his side’s
15 points in Cardiff.
Injuries have also nullified their attacking threat. Both Lamont brothers,
Rory and Seán, have been unavailable so far, as well as winger
Simon Webster. Nick De Luca has also disappointed at centre, whilst their
lack of a Ronan O’Gara-type out-half stems their progressing onto
the next level.
Ultimately, this should be a routine win for Ireland. Their confidence
has taken a battering since last autumn but their performance in the second-half
in Paris should have restored enough belief to give the Scots the runaround.
Paul O’Connell should be fit enough to make the bench, while Eddie
O’Sullivan will have some head-scratching to do in his choice of
hooker. Jackman and Rory Best have fired both hot and cold so far but
Jerry Flannery will probably not be rushed back to a starting position
immediately.
A fourth Triple Crown in five years is a distinct possibility for Ireland
— a convincing performance on Saturday is a must.
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