It wasn’t perfect but it was entertaining and there was much to admire in the content of Ireland’s performance across various facets of the game in a 50-7 victory.
There were several outstanding individual performances, Johnny Sexton and Iain Henderson to single out two, but the collective was pretty impressive.
There is always going to be an element of rustiness in the first match of the tournament but Joe Schmidt’s side looked sharp and the team played with width, ambition, a clever variation in tactics and for those cavil a little about the lack of an offloading game, they passed out of the tackle.
There were still some issues with missed tackles (14) but a successful completion rate of 90 per cent is a pretty good return. The set piece was flawless while Peter O’Mahony in particular did very well on the Canadian throw. Ireland’s breakdown work was also of a high calibre.
Attack
Ireland made 692-metres with the ball in hand, getting outside the Canadian defence when the Canucks were a man down (19 points during that time) and then again towards the end of the game where Ian Madigan did very well to expose midfield gaps.
The primary gambit for Ireland initially was for Sexton to wrap around his centres and throw the wide pass to a wing but there were several variations and this kept Canada honest in defence.
In nitpicking a little, Irish players were occasionally guilty of passing a little early without drawing the tackler - Canada backed off a little in defence out wide which exaggerated the issue a little as they refused to bite down on the ball carrier - when trusting their hands and running at inside shoulders would have preserved the space.
The Canadians didn’t buy too many of the midfield decoys, cluttering that corridor with extra bodies and they deserve credit: fatigue and Madigan’s strength and footwork created Ireland’s seventh try.
The Irish backline was incisive for the most part and while there were precision lapses it was a fine collective and individual effort. Sexton was excellent while Conor Murray looked sharp, his distribution quick and accurate and his kicking beautifully varied.
The pack gave the backs the front foot, fast, ball they needed to flourish.
Referees
Both at Twickenham and the Millennium stadium - Paul O’Connell’s yellow card an example - there were too many errors from the officials, not just the referees that had a material impact on the games, if not the outcomes in the strictest terms.
The role of the television match official is valuable in ensuring fair play and accuracy but the matches are now lasting close to two hours and some of the referrals are spurious in the sense that the assistant referees are occasionally a matter of a few feet away. The officials have become paralysed in decision-making terms, and the irony is that when they do opt to make an instantaneous call they’re getting too many wrong.
No one should expect them to be flawless and sport has always contained that element of the imperfect when it comes to rules and regulations but the balance in application requires a little tweaking on the evidence of the tournament so far.
Game Plan
Joe Schmidt and his coaching team deserve credit in devising patterns that exposed Canada and the players for implementing them effectively. Some will point to limitations of Ireland's opponents but that would be slightly unfair on a couple of counts.
There was a period of about 20-minutes in the second half when Ireland forced a few passes when in possession and the line speed in defence dropped off a little that allowed Canada to build a little momentum. It’s a minor gripe when weighed against the positives of the afternoon.
Ireland’s structure in general was good, from the positional play and hard running of Rob Kearney from fullback to the coalface graft from Jack McGrath. Individually and collectively there was a fluency to Ireland’s play.
New Midfield Pairing
It worked. Luke Fitzgerald had a fine match, his traditional strengths, footwork and angles of running very much in evidence but it was his covering and appreciation of how to defend when numbers down out wide with his centre partner Jared Payne that was equally impressive.
Payne invariably makes the right decision irrespective of circumstance and it’s his consistent excellence that makes him an important cog in the team. There will be tougher tests ahead but in the absence of Robbie Henshaw tit reinforced that there are alternatives.
Work of the Pack
Canada provided a physical challenge around the breakdown and on the fringes of rucks and mauls but what was heartening to see was how cohesive and powerful the Irish pack was in not alone carrying ball but in protecting it.
Players were interchangeable in role terms and struck a nice balance. Iain Henderson will capture the headlines and deservedly so because his was a stunning effort, that showcased his remarkable athleticism and the intelligence he brings to his role but everyone of the eight contributed handsomely and not just in one dimensional terms.
