The intense rivalry between Ireland and Wales from my playing days wasn’t imagined. Familiarity didn’t breed contempt, but it did manage to foster a dislike for one another on the pitch. Off it some of the best nights out I had during my international career were in Cardiff.
There were some proper scraps on the pitch, no quarter asked or given, and a fair amount of chirping from the usual suspects whenever they were able to draw breath. There was a healthy level of competition between the countries that stemmed from playing in the same league and clashing regularly at club level.
Wales have won four Grand Slams in the professional era and that gave them the bragging rights at Test level where they also thwarted Ireland’s bid for a first World Cup semi-final. The Irish provinces, though, held sway in Europe, for the most part in the Celtic League in its various forms, while Ireland had their moments in the Six Nations too.
Who has been added to Ireland’s Six Nations squad and why?
The old tradition of the post-match black tie dinner did more to encourage friendlier interaction than people might suspect. They were long and generally stuffy affairs, so players sought refuge in each other’s company, and found common ground, having tried to smash each other to smithereens a few hours earlier.
Matt Sherratt urges Wales not to ‘die wondering’ against Ireland
Finn Russell fit for Scotland but Darcy Graham misses England clash
Ireland boss Simon Easterby makes some bold and exciting selections for Wales clash
What time is kick-off and what TV channel is Wales v Ireland on? All you need to know about the Six Nations clash
Irish rugby, as has been proven in that professional era, had a better financial and structural framework. The Welsh national team was an outlier in what they managed to achieve, with four Grand Slams and half a dozen Six Nations titles during that time.
Other countries have been forced to navigate complexities of the professional game, England failed to build in the anticipated manner on their 2003 World Cup success, while the French Top 14 was awash with too many foreign players until recent years to the detriment of the national team.
Wales and Ireland enter a week that will see them collide at the Principality Stadium on Saturday afternoon at opposite ends of the spectrum. Simon Easterby’s Irish side have beaten England and Scotland and, one or two injuries aside, are in pretty good nick.
The WRU decided it was time to invite Warren Gatland to step aside by mutual agreement, and he was followed out the door by his assistant Rob Howley, with Matt Sherratt in charge in a caretaker capacity until the end of the tournament. The odds are stacked against him on paper.
Ireland, ranked two in the world, against their hosts who have slipped to a lowest ever ranking 12th, that has seen them drop below Georgia. However, matches are played on grass, so Sherratt’s focus this week is not to convince a nation that he is the messiah but to persuade his squad of players to give him everything in training and then for 80 minutes on Saturday afternoon.
It is the third time that Wales had replaced their coach in a Six Nations tournament in the professional era, following on from Mike Ruddock and Graham Henry, who resigned. All three, coincidentally, did so in the month of February, Ruddock after two matches, Henry after one when Ireland walloped them 54-10.
Wales might take a little inspiration from a historical fallout, specifically when French players rebelled against coach Marc Lièvremont yet still managed to reach the 2011 World Cup final, where they lost 8-7 to New Zealand. Sport does not always follow the script.
As I’ve said a number of times coaching at this level is less about tactics and more about preparing the players to deliver and perform. It would be fair to say that this has been lacking in the Welsh attack as of late. While they secure plenty of ball their use of it has been questionable.
It is an extreme example of a team playing to a shape or structure that has made them predictable and easier to defend. The statistics highlight the fact that Wales are winning enough possession, with the most lineout wins and attacking ruck arrivals in the tournament, but the speed of ruck and lack of metres carried tell another story.
Sherratt’s priority should be to free up his players, adopt a simple game plan, especially in an era of systems and shapes, and encourage them to push their skills with more line breaks and offloads. The biggest challenge for this group will be to cope mentally with the pressure and to dredge up the fire and passion that will allow them to douse that self-doubt.
It’s about the “no talent” moments that feed into the occasion. Finding that belief is key to unearthing a performance. Get the mind on board and the body will follow.
Easterby leads an Ireland squad that are heavy favourites to win in Cardiff. The visitors must deal with expectation. I don’t like making unnecessary comparisons however the All Blacks from 2005 onwards, when at the peak of their powers, were rarely found wanting when it came to being victorious in matches they were supposed to win.
New Zealand were content to rotate the starting 15, providing players with opportunities to deliver a performance that put others on notice while maintaining the highest standards. While Ireland may never achieve the sheer dominance of that All Blacks team they should be comfortable with that heavy favourite’s tag, and I expect Easterby to make changes for Saturday.
While there may not be depth in every position I do think it sends a strong message to the wider group when the load is shared.
Dan Sheehan, Jack Crowley, Garry Ringrose and Ryan Baird would add a dynamic intensity to the starting 15 and a rest or impact role for Tadhg Beirne and Bundee Aki, for example, would go a long way to keeping important player minutes down in advance of France’s visit to Dublin in a couple of weeks.
With the best will in the world Ireland trying to find an emotional challenge this week is a tough sell and that’s not meant to be disparaging to Wales. I have been there before; different matches require different stimuli.
Ireland players must challenge one another to stay sharp and focused. It’s easy to have that mindset when everything is on the line, but it takes a fair amount of individual responsibility to drive the collective when there is ostensibly less pressure.
Defining what success looks like after playing a team you are meant to beat is always a tough one, as when you win handsomely everyone points to the opposition, while conversely a close match or a loss and it reflects terribly on the group. Ireland’s remit is simple, control the controllables. That will suffice to engineer the desired result.
