Rare Ireland rotation leaves interesting selection debate against Wales – Irish Times

Henry Ford, the American automobile giant, once said: “Even if it’s a mistake, it may turn out that just one thing was necessary to achieve a worthwhile outcome.” That’s exactly how I felt in 2014 when he won his second Six Nations Championship as a professional.

Three months ago, in November, in a thrilling encounter at the Aviva Stadium, we made mistakes that cost us what could have been a historic victory. That particular lesson was absorbed and the basis was the need to keep playing until the final whistle. In the final moments of the match against France in Paris, Dave Kearney’s sublime defense as he forced a pass up front was proof of this.

The details of that educational process, while the loss to the All Blacks was painful, laid the foundation for progress within the team, fostering growth in confidence, a hunger for more responsibility and a healthy attitude towards mistakes.

That begs the question. Are mistakes a failure or just part of the process? There is always a cycle of “review, evaluation, and improvement” in professional sports, and I think this was the case with the Ireland national team after the World Cup in France.

I wrote at the time that it was almost impossible to fault the approach of the Irish coaching staff, who had built a stable, seasoned team with more than 10 players playing the most minutes in the pool stages. With hindsight, it’s easy to suggest “do this, don’t do that” alternatives without the possibility of being proven right or wrong.

In my opinion, I don’t think the Irish managerial roster has reconsidered their approach, and I don’t think they’ve questioned the process. As Felipe Contepomi explained on the Irish Times Counterrack podcast last week, if the decision is right but the execution is poor, the outcome could be better.

Italian work by Felipe Contepomi and Gordon Darcy

I would be surprised if coaches don’t apply this logic to themselves. In reflecting on how they approached the World Cup and the selection process that was set up based on the results, they considered whether they could have done things differently and if so, how. Sho.

The answer may lie in his selection in the squad to face Italy last weekend, but this suggests a slightly different tack. Ireland have enjoyed consistency so far, but this game saw six changes to the starting XI and five more on the bench. Among the many benefits, one of them is the ability to share the workload on a broader basis within the team.

The 36-0 win over Italy wasn’t a great 80-minute performance, but the content of the win was enough to satisfy Andy Farrell, both individually and in some aspects of the team’s dynamics. Italy palely imitated their first-half display against England last week, but some of that nastiness was forced.

[ Joe McCarthy’s meteoric rise from Trinity lock to Ireland enforcer ]

Ireland’s defense was very impressive, constantly troubling Italy’s set-pieces and breaking Italy’s momentum on multiple occasions with multi-phase possession. Finlay-Bealham has been very pleased with his performance, particularly at the scrum, and is no doubt enjoying the power transfer from second-row Joe McCarthy and James Ryan.

As well as the game against Wales, there’s also the trip to Twickenham and a look at how Ireland’s tight five will shape up personnel-wise to crack down on an England side known for their set-piece power and collective physicality. would be interesting. Ryan Baird showed off his athleticism and skill on a regular basis, so much so that his name rises to the top of the list when talk begins about a successor to the blindside jersey.

This was not a match that required a huge amount of game management, and everything needed was shared efficiently between Jack Crowley, Craig Casey and James Rowe. Munster’s half-back pair played with their familiarity and struck the right balance between attacking flair and pragmatism.

[ Jack Crowley takes the ball and runs with it as Irish 10 jersey fits snugly once again ]

When the incident occurred, the Italian army was so weak that if it had not been dealt with correctly, the Irish attack might have been bogged down by sheer indifference. Casey changed the tempo and point of attack with his deft kicks.

His halfback partner was equally balanced after passing such a high-pressure watch at Marseille, and his work with the ball was perfectly complemented by those around him. Without unnecessary comparisons to other world-class 10 players, Crowley left his mark on the game with simple skills perfectly executed at the right time under pressure.

A few examples are worth mentioning. His pass through the tackle to free Robbie Henshaw ahead of Dan Sheehan’s try, and his pass to Jamison Gibson-Park in pursuit ahead of Calvin Nash’s try.

Italian demolition work by Gerry Thornley and John O’Sullivan

Ulster center Stuart McCloskey was another beneficiary of the change and was highly impressed with his flawless performance. He combined a physical side to his game with hard carries and purposeful tackling to complement the natural passing/offloading game maintained by the big Ulsterman.

[ Stuart McCloskey: ‘It’s been pretty seamless for me’ ]

Off-roading is part of any highlight reel, but it’s his work that stands out to me. He can be quietly satisfied with his performance. McCloskey talked about how Farrell challenged him beforehand and how Farrell responded well and took the opportunity.

Robbie Henshaw has had a tough time with injuries over the past two years and could have been destined for a bench role at the start of the Six Nations had Garry Ringrose not been injured. Henshaw looks rejuvenated in the No. 13 jersey.

The task was tougher for those players getting their chances off the bench, with Ireland’s attacking fluidity stagnant due to multiple substitutions. Individual errors ruined the best intentions, but despite their frustration, with spotless momentum it did not yield any real results. The results were long established.

That was expected before the game, but a decent performance isn’t always guaranteed when teams rotate. Ireland would have had quite a few on their post-match checklist had they managed to rotate in, win and create a bit of competition within the team. This highlights that Ireland continue to evolve, both as coaches and players, and foreshadows tougher challenges ahead.