ON RUGBY: Last season England went to Murrayfield, soaked up lengthy bouts of frenzied if somewhat blunt Scottish pressure, and emerged with a 29-3 win. Their performance was deemed below par, which made their record margin of victory at Murrayfield all the more imposing, writes Gerry Thornley.
Likewise, there were a few grumbles, not many mind, about the nature of the Irish win in Murrayfield on Sunday, though perhaps this is merely a reflection of the higher standards with which this Irish team is now judged.
For if England or France had reproduced such a three tries to nil, 30-point win amid the din of the Scottish den it would have been heralded as a polished and professional victory. And that is what Ireland's record 36-6 win was.
True, much of the initial tactics to kick for territory and break up the rhythm of the game mightn't have had Irish supporters, who have grown accustomed to more expansive stuff in recent times, sitting on the edge of their seats. Nor was Ireland's kicking game particularly well executed, with Brian O'Driscoll, by his own admission, inviting Glenn Metcalfe to launch counter-attacks.
At home especially, Ireland would aspire to keep the ball longer and construct more through the phases. But away from home, in the Six Nations, teams are liable to spend more time defending. With the home crowd willing them on, it was only natural that the Scots would summon the energy to throw the kitchen sink at Ireland in the lengthy bout of first-half injury time and again in the third quarter. What impressed was the way Ireland had the mental strength and calmness to withstand it.
Granted, Gordon Ross (despite once taking a flat ball and dummying past Reggie Corrigan before Peter Stringer's trademark tap tackle on Metcalfe) did seem to take the ball very deep, while the Scottish three-quarters shuffled across field without too much of a threat up the middle. Even the burly Italian backs outside Diego Dominguez might ask more questions of the Irish defence, as, most certainly, will France and England's speedsters. Yet in some respects this was a more impressive defensive effort than those at Lansdowne Road in the autumn.
Take the Scottish pummelling 10 minutes into the second-half, which was instigated by Bryan Redpath's quick tap and Simon Taylor's searing break up the left. For two exhausting, unbroken minutes, through 10 phases, Ireland's defence was stretched this way and that across their try-line, but the defensive pillars held firm, notably Girvan Dempsey, Kevin Maggs, Gleeson, Anthony Foley and Shane Byrne.
Toward the end of it there was scarcely a pause for breath before Kenny Logan tapped another penalty and the siege ended when Taylor couldn't hold on to a Ross crosskick with the game Humphreys, admittedly, looking a tad outnumbered. Scotland had the consolation of three, but even so it's unlikely Ireland would have survived such a battering last season.
The major coup of the day, though, was the lineout. Scott Murray and Co have been the bane of the Irish lineout more than most in recent years, invariably seeming able to second guess where the throw was intended.
Clearly O'Sullivan, Niall O'Donovan and the Irish forwards had been burning the midnight oil coming up with variations to ensure this wouldn't happen again, and the most striking aspects of the Irish lineout were both the variety of options and the choices taken on the pitch.
Ireland's receivers, be they Malcolm O'Kelly in the middle, Victor Costello at the tail, Keith Gleeson for long throws over the top or even Leo Cullen when he came on, almost seemed to be able to take the catch unimpeded. Scotland, for once, seemed utterly unable to read where the next Shane Byrne dart was going to land.
There were, admittedly, a couple of blips which intensified the pressure on Ireland in that third quarter, when greater accuracy and concentration would have eased the strain. Yet, by comparison, whether by moving Costello up and down the line or O'Kelly and his lifters reading the throw, even Scott Murray was under greater pressure to procure Gordon Bulloch's throws.
It was from such pressure early on by O'Kelly on Stuart Grimes that Murray called for a long throw to himself at the tail, but Bulloch left it short and it was snaffled up by an alert Keith Gleeson. From the recycle Brendan Laney - beginning a large debt file for the afternoon - drifted offside and Humphreys opened the scoring.
Secure lineout ball via O'Kelly and Cullen were also the platform for Ireland's well-worked first and third tries, and the umpteenth attack off Brian O'Driscoll which led to the Scottish midfield pushing up too early again and Humphreys' fifth and final penalty. In simplistic terms, therefore, the lineout provided the basis for 20 of Ireland's 36 points.
Another six could largely be attributed to further big plays by the outstanding Gleeson, in that his prowling instincts at the breakdown earned a three-pointer against Grimes for not releasing and, after Gleeson's steal and charge, yet another penalty against the Scottish midfield for pushing up too early. In that respect, above all others, Ireland could be eternally thankful to Australian referee Andrew Cole, who carefully policed the offside line where previously other referees had given the Scots almost carte blanche.
The Scots might argue that the bounce of the ball didn't go their way in that initial, madcap scramble in the Irish in-goal area. Furthermore, they might reasonably contend that, for his breakaway try, Geordan Murphy had joined the ruck/maul from the side and was then lurking offside from well in front of the hindmost foot when he snaffled unattended Scottish ruck ball.
But thems the breaks. And good sides tend to make the most of them, all the more so when they have three potential gamebreakers with the capacity to score from long-range in virtually the blink of an eye, i.e., Messrs Murphy, O'Driscoll and Hickie.
With that potency, pretty much anything is possible. It really is.
