MATT WILLIAMSon why Ireland must instead adapt guerrilla tactics to disrupt the English supply lines

LET’S ACKNOWLEDGE that before the Parisian reality check Declan Kidney had got pretty much everything right as Ireland coach. He deserves great credit for this.

That’s why it was surprising that in so many departments – selection, attacking options, mental attitude and discipline – the team have malfunctioned during this season’s Six Nations.

Selection continues to be the main concern.

I support the promotion of Jonathan Sexton for this particular match. He varies the depth at which he accepts the ball, allowing him to attack the gainline or go wide. He also varies the point of attack. England are defensively vulnerable on the blindside and Sexton attacks this area better than Ronan O’Gara; that’s why I would have him in today. (Today only. Wales and Scotland may require different tactics.) However, the arrival of Sexton is overshadowed by several other selections I disagree with.

Tomás O’Leary, fine player that he is, looks badly out of form. O’Leary’s retention is a loyalty call, an admirable Kidney quality, but his ball transfer from the ruck is too slow and that could lead directly to Ireland’s demise today.

England are superior to Ireland around the fringes. Slow ball leads to trench warfare but Ireland must attack them two passes wide of the ruck. Eoin Reddan’s slicker pass may be required.

Donncha O’Callaghan is a fine player who doesn’t need any comments from me to defend his proud record and perhaps it is his power as a tighthead scrummager that got him back into the side because the scrum was under severe pressure in France.

O’Callaghan’s return at the expense of Leo Cullen, though, is extremely tough on the Leinster captain. For a man who has waited so long for his chance, and then performed so well, he has paid a very high price. To suggest Leo is not a powerful scrummager would be a grave injustice.

A major fault against France was the replacements. As this column previously noted, the backline reserves lacked the necessary balance should the worst case scenario occur, like an early injury to Rob Kearney.

You cannot have two specialist outhalves in the 22. This is the harsh reality that was not swallowed by the coach. Whoever from Ronan O’Gara and Sexton does not make the team should not be retained on the bench as to carry a specialist nine and 10 and just one other player covering 11 through 15 is a massive gamble that already failed against France.

On paper, Andrew Trimble can cover outside centre and wing. The reality is if a centre gets injured, Keith Earls will move from the wing to centre. This is two moves. At every point outside nine and 10 there are a minimum of two moves. An injury to Geordan Murphy, just back from a shoulder operation, will force three positional switches. Imagine the disruption at backline training this week to give each player time at his potential position? Once again I’m concerned about Earls’ confidence levels. His body language looked all wrong the last day.

Let me reiterate: Keith is an extremely talented player who needs looking after. Playing him out of position, he is a 13, is not good for his development.

Remember, the Six Nations is about winning. Development is for the Churchill Cup and November.

Shane Horgan should be starting, with Paddy Wallace and Earls providing cover.

If Tom Court is paying the price for giving away a penalty in the latter stages of the French defeat then it is a lesson that needed to be given and we can understand Tony Buckley getting his opportunity, although having been loyal to Court or so long this selection remains at best shrouded in mystery, at worst a double standard. Especially considering what Court did to Buckley at nearly every scrum up in Ravenhill on January 2nd.

Sometimes good guys do succeed. Geordan Murphy deserves this chance today. He has suffered the “slings and arrows” more than most players yet he remains a gentleman who plays the game with a great attacking spirit.

If Ireland have the courage to counter attack, pass and support there is both space and opportunity. The backline and backrow are full of world-class ball carriers. To win at Twickenham, Ireland must run possession back at every opportunity and attack the blind side of England’s well-organised defence.

The mental fortitude of this Ireland team cracked for the first time under Kidney’s regime at the Stade de France, with the defence shredded in their own 22 for the first time since the 2007 World Cup. Ireland defenders failed to adjust after the set-piece, with props and hookers exposed, while key Irish backs were caught on the blindside or in tight were the forwards should be.

To balance these negative comments it must be said the French tactics were brilliant.

Ireland lost their defensive shape, with Tommy Bowe and Jerry Flannery responsible for conceding two tries when they needlessly burst out of the line.

This was not in the Les Kiss defensive playbook. This was bad reactions under pressure.

This lack of discipline throughout the side, from the Cian Healy sin-binning, to needless penalties, to Flannery’s citing indicates mismanagement in mental preparation, surprising because it is an area that has been the hallmark of all Declan’s teams.

Fortunately England lack the capabilities to replicate the French brilliance.

Consider the England backline of five years ago: Matt Dawson, Jonny Wilkinson at his peak, Ben Cohen and Jason Robinson on the wings, Mike Tindall and Will Greenwood the complementary centres, with Mike Catt a useful foil and Josh Lewsey at fullback, coached by the creative and erudite Brian Ashton. None of the current backline would disrupt that team, with the 2010 Wilkinson a shadow of his 2003 incarnation.

It seems unlikely their present backs coach Brian Smith is getting full scope. The influence of the former London Irish coach (and former Ireland Test outhalf) can only be described as non-existent.

Martin Johnson is still learning his trade; making mistakes while trying to grow into the head coaching role. Basically, he is at the same stage of development as Marc Lièvremont was in 2008 but without the wealth of talent. This is never a nice place for a coach to find himself That said, this is England at Twickenham. No one can deny the intimidating atmosphere within the belly of the beast.

Like all things British it is understated. When a visiting team arrive at Twickenham they are shown a politeness that borders on the condescending.

Despite the constant criticism of being a boring team, England are back winning again, through brute force.

Their courage and physical commitment cannot be doubted. They want to drag teams into the dirt, slow it down and carry around the fridges of rucks.

When facing England teams as Scottish coach or with Ireland A, I always used a military analogy. England want a structured battle so they can bring the cannon and cavalry into play. That is there tradition. Don’t give them a battlefield. Guerrilla warfare must apply. Disrupt their supply lines – the set-piece and ruck ball – and take them into territory where they can not offer pitch battle, which is counter-attacking and raids down the blindside.

In my first article of this series, for the Italy game, I suggested Ireland must evolve tactically to win the championship. Standing still was a sure route to failure.

In the first two performances of 2010 they have shown zero growth.

Today, Ireland must attack with discipline and move the ball rapidly through counter-attacking to expose a limited, kicking gameplan. Otherwise, expect a highly damaging defeat against the poorest English line-up of the professional era.