Ugly Win But Result All That Counts

February 8th,2010

Author: Shane Byrne
Final Year: 1989
Biography: Shane Byrne (1989) won 41 rugby caps for Ireland in 2005 he travelled to New Zealand with the Lions where he featured in all three tests. He retired from professional rugby in 2007 when he returned from playing with Saracens in England.He recently hung up his boots permanently, after spending the last two seasons with Blackrock, where he started playing senior rugby 18 years ago! Shane is currently Head Of Operations (Ireland), at Global Development Group and resides in Wicklow.
URL: http://blog.ireland.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?webtag=itb_shanebyrne

Definitely not the most exciting game we’ve ever seen Ireland play but then again we are defending our Championship and our Grand Slam so results are all that count!
This one can go down as box ticked, a couple of players getting some valuable game time and result in the bag.
You're dead right with your comments guys, we’ve got the win and shown very little to the French!
Challenge in the scrum was met
We stood up to all the challenges that were laid down before the game, most importantly the scrum.
I don’t think that the ref did the Italians any favours but all the practice that went in paid off and we will need it looking at the French scrumming display against the Scots.
That's the positives done with, it still doesn’t change the fact that it was a dull game!
Our guys looked very, very rusty. It was like watching the first half of the Australian game for 80 minutes!

Ireland never raised game
The problem with this was the fact that they never had to chase a lead and therefore didn’t have to raise their game at all.
For the spectacle it was a pity that the score was so high at half time because you knew that the Italians, even thought they got stuck in, weren’t going to challenge.
More importantly when opportunities came along we took them, there were no real bad performances, Rob Kearney aside!
Kearney slept this one out!
What was going on with him? It was like he was out for a training trot!
Nothing in attack, hardly anything in defence and as for that blocked down kick, terrible. Never mind the kick, he shouldn’t have let that ball bounce in the first place, just lazy.
Full back 101 rule book says, never let a ball bounce that you can get to, as it allows then opposition get closer! Back to school, me thinks Rob!!

Cullen stood out
On performances, not saying that he didn’t have a good game but I was surprised to see Wally get man of the match, he had a fine game but I thought that Leo was the stand out player, definitely in the forwards.
He was ever present in defence around the field and he destroyed the Italian lineout, he must be in with a good shout of retaining he place.
I haven’t heard any update of the couple of injuries that we picked up but if we say all are fit you couldn’t see too many changes.
Ferris will come back in no doubt and probably that's about it.

Few changes needed for French game
Yes there will be talk about Sexton, O’Callaghan and I even heard talk about D' Arcy being under pressure from Wallace!
Wallace really picked up the game when he came on but to weaken the physicality of our backline going against the French would be nuts if you ask me.
From what we saw over the weekend I think we can say one thing, there isn’t a better side than Ireland in the tournament, which just leaves it down to our guys to make sure that they turn it up for the rest of the campaign.
If kids ever need to be taught a lesson on why you can never be sin binned, look at the England-Wales game.

Listen kids, never get sin-binned!
Alun Wyn Jones’s stupid yellow card changed the game, after being in control in another dour game, Wales conceded 17 points in that 10 minute spell, basically handing the English the win.
One thing to worry about was the speed that England changed their game to react to the Welsh being down to 14 men, maybe their recovery is happening quicker than everybody thought, watch this space!!
Nothing I saw, except the scrum maybe, in the Scotland – France game gave me any cause for great concern.

French defence vulnerable
Yes, there were the flashes of French flair and whenever the Scots made a mistake they were punished hard but they still managed to make several clean breaks through what was a vulnerable defensive line.
Scotland didn’t have the wherewithal to finish these opportunities off but we will.
Once we get behind a team we have the ability to maintain the attack and keep the pressure on.

No easy games coming up!
For their part, Scotland were very committed and you could see what they were trying to do and it will work at some point in the competition, there are not going to be any easy games from now on in!
So from now the results are right where we want them to be, in our own hands!