The trouble about Rugby World Cup finals is that you need to reach them before you can worry about them and in hindsight as the Ireland fans were gathering the family silver and kids savings banks the slight detail of Wales in thye quarter final seemed to be overlooked. Indeed, the depth of the history in the fixture also seemed to be under estimated by a media bandwagon that became heavily involved in the romanticism of Ireland's “Golden Generation”- and their opportunity to fulfil their potential at the highest level. Rightfully so perhaps, as the team would have been only two matches from playing at Eden Park in a fortnight’s time.
However, the coach for Wales, Warren Gatland, was the same man who guided Ireland to an improbable victory against France many years ago with a more youthful Brian O’Driscoll bursting on to the scene after scoring three tries. In the Wellington the scene was set up for the man from Hamilton to exact his revenge on the nation that sacked him after the 1999 World Cup – and replaced by Eddie O’Sullivan. On Saturday in the Cake Tin the Welsh game plan was simple and was implemented by fifteen players from the Principality with a hunger and commitment that shook Declan Kidney’s side from the moment Shane Williams cored the early try.
The Wales management trio of Gatland, Shaun Edwards and Rob Howley, laden with Lions experience from 2009 came to the fixture smarting no doubt from the last minute defeat to South Africa in their opening match. With that lesson learned they set about undoing Ireland for a second time this season by cutting off the supply from Ireland’s key ball carriers, Jamie Heaslip, Stephen Ferris and Sean O’Brien. The few times Ronan O’Gara received ball at stand off his options rested between harried kicks or jinking inside back into the support of his forwards. The speed of Wales flanker Sam Warburton will no doubt give the Munster out half nightmares for some weeks to come.
In short, Wales did their homework very well with the added twist being that the ability and talent of Tommy Bowe was also well known to all coaches in the principality, so it was no surprise that Gatland and company had plans in place to neutralise that attacking weapon. Whether the absence of David Wallace in a match at that level mattered, will remain part of the perennial pub debates that matter little in the history books. No doubt his experience and power may have allowed some pressure be applied to the welsh backrow at key points in the game. Not least perhaps for the Mike Phillips try down the blindside – which seemed to catch Ireland completely ill prepared.
But they are just if’s.
For Ireland the vast combined experience of the team seemed to count for little as they seemed to get stage fright on tye day and slow to react to the game plan facing them – somehow feeling the burden of reaching the quarterfinal for the first time in two decades. The added pressure of some key players not delivering highlights the difference in level with some of the Southern Hemisphere sides who understand that greatness is only achieved with consistency on those days that matter. The fact that the Wallabies lost their opening match to Ireland some weeks ago matters little now as they march on to meet New Zealand in the semi final and Brian O’Driscoll’s squad fly home. Although Australia were perhaps fortunate to win against South Africa in their quarter final match, the truth is they were a much sharper side to the one that lost to Ireland.
With time passing unrelentingly there will be a number of Irish players now that will no doubt consider dedicating their lives to other leisurely pursuits, especially those who see the next world cup in 2005 as too dim a light on the horizon. The reality is that few players will ever match the achievement of Mario Ledesma who ended his time with Argentina in their defeat to New Zealand at 38 years of age and playing in a record four World Cups. The fact that the Pumas matched the All Blacks for over sixty minutes highlights their mentality in the big tournaments and comes on the foot of taking third place in 2007 in France. Their transition into the new Four Nations next season with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa should be seamless.
Bad news for Ireland in many ways in terms of future world rankings given that it was a 6 Nations team that dumped them out of the New Zealand World Cup.
Whether the IRFU will conduct the type of perilous investigation that Rob Andrews is to undertake for the RFU and the performance of Martin Johnson, remains unclear. But with a newly signed agreement under his wing it is unlikely that Declan Kidney’s position and his backroom team is under any threat at this time. Especially as he gave the nation it’s first Grand Slam in many decades as recently as 2009. However, whether he has the tactical nous to outfox some of the more experienced rugby coaches in the world game was answered in Wellington when a Gatland master class abruptly ended Ireland’s ambitions and semi-final dreams.
But then it should be no surprise given the pedigree that Gatland has amassed in the decade since he left Ireland, not only with Wales but then managing the Lions through six weeks in South Africa and also the World Cup defeats in the more recent past.
In the case of Kidney, it was his first introduction to the world game and he arrived armed with one of the best Irish rugby squads in recent times, fomented and developed for the most part by the much maligned Eddie O’Sullivan. In the future Kidney will have the chance to build a team and game style more in his own image as he will undoubtedly have to cultivate more youth as his more seniors players move away from the scene. But already some of younger players like Rob Kearney have accumulated years of experience in a very short time and that will no doubt form a strong platform on which to build.
