Lack of sustained magic may leave Irish eyes smiling
Stuart Barnes
July 11, 2011
This final had moments but, disappointingly, not a great deal more. A touch of the slide-rule sublime from the boot of Dan Carter, a devastating Digby Ioane dash and, most memorably, Will Genia forsaking his persistent chip kick to carve a hole through the Crusaders defence to break the 13-13 stalemate and deliver the winning points the Reds' second-half momentum promised.
These three tries will live a while in the memory, standing out all the more brightly against the backdrop of fierce competition and puzzling inadequacy. The endeavour was earnest, but any quality was swamped by the quantity of errors. It is the first time I have thought it this century, but the Heineken Cup champions would have thumped the best of the southern hemisphere.
Leinster's one area of weakness against a powerful pack is the scrum. But, against the Reds, they would have been markedly stronger even in their weakest facet. Indeed, had Super Rugby not made a howler and appointed Bryce Lawrence, a Kiwi referee with a weak concept of the set piece and a powerful determination not to favour his own countrymen, the Crusaders scrum would probably have shoved its way to victory.
Still, the Wallabies pack will not have Ben Daly turning in, showing his rump to the stands every scrum (and getting away with it until a belated 48th minute) and provincial rugby is not the same as the international equivalent. But, even so, Saturday saw the Southern Hemisphere's metaphorical superiority slip a few inches as the World Cup looms.
Graham Henry might just have been speaking the truth and not flattering the old world in that sly old way of his when he suggested a stronger World Cup showing from Ireland, France and England than most Tri Nations supporters expect.
Undoubtedly, international rugby is another level up, but if Ireland can stay in touch with Australia during their pool game, the Wallabies could be heading for an unexpected and unwanted quarter-final collision with the Springboks. The glaring flaw in the Reds' big-match effort is Australia's shining jewel.
Quade Cooper has garnered negative headlines for his fluid tackling technique, but it is his goal-kicking under pressure that should cause the most concern for Robbie Deans.
The rest of his game can be a carnival of marvels, but in front of goal he has the wrong sort of aura. The failed, hooked conversion of Will Genia's try and then the fading miss the other side of the posts to push his team clear of the Crusaders in the last 10 minutes had CHOKE written all over them. These errors lose tight games.
And it is not as if Deans has any other guaranteed options. Kurtley Beale is too much a genius to master the tedium of goal-kicking routines.
James O'Connor could be another of the World Cup hits, but is as prone to miss a crucial kick as to succeed, while Matt Giteau - the only Wallaby with a history of high percentage Test match success - is past his prime and thinking of France.
The flair of the Reds backs, combined with the Waratahs and Brumbies tight forward power, is a striking reminder of the French team who played some flowing rugby in the early stages here in the 2003 World Cup, but come the semi-final, the prose of Jonny Wilkinson erased the poetry of Frederic Michalak. The same fate may await Australia. They are leading contenders for the most fabulous flatterers in New Zealand.
Australia would be more likely to win the World Cup had they Ireland's Jonny Sexton at five-eighth.
Quade Cooper is the more kaleidoscopic talent, but the Irishman has a solidity beyond the Reds playmaker. Perhaps the Wallabies will run away from Ireland in the first hour, but the way Ireland destroyed England and the excellence of Leinster indicates this is unlikely. If it is 13-13 with 20 minutes left when these teams meet at pool stage, I would back Ireland on the evidence of the key indicators from Brisbane.
The news for New Zealand could also be better. They will need France's Romain Poite to officiate in order to maximise their world-dominant scrum. But will the Rugby World Cup encourage the same set-piece domination as we witnessed in 2007 when South Africa's soaring lineout maestro and master prompter, Fourie du Preez, impressed the old-school element but had the rest of the sporting world yawning?
The Reds stifled Richie McCaw, Kieran Read was anonymous, Dan Carter overdid the lazy lateral passing away from deep, which left Sonny Bill Williams threatening too far from the gain line; all this before even considering the claustrophobic pressures of home expectation.
Graham Henry knows his stuff.
from:
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...yes-smiling-20110710-1h8t9.html#ixzz1Ry99Feff
