IRELAND v WALES:FAMILIARITY BREEDS contempt, it is said, and there are times when the rivalry between Irish and Welsh players, and especially those from Munster and the Ospreys, became a tad too edgy on foot of all those League, European and Six Nations clashes over the years. Intriguingly, though, the Lions tour changed that a little and, it seems, real familiarity bred a new-found respect.
Ireland and Wales, and primarily Munster and the Ospreys, provided the most numerous contingent on that tour. Recall the series in South Africa two years ago when the Lions gained a modicum of compensation in the third Test, and before the final whistle Paul O’Connell and Alun Wyne Jones were hugging each other like blood brothers.
“To be fair, hanging around with them they’re incredible craic to play around with,” admitted Donncha O’Callaghan yesterday. “Straightaway there were no boundaries in that Lions squad, and you can see why Tommy’s got on so well out there,” he said of Tommy Bowe’s time with the Ospreys. “They’re like ourselves so you feel really comfortable around them. We do get on, but we’re massively competitive as well.
“I wish I got to play with him more on the Lions,” said O’Callaghan of Jones. “I didn’t get to partner him a lot on it. He’s a player you’d really respect. When you play against him, you’ve got to be up at a high level because he’s world class. It’s against guys like that that you have to put in huge performances.”
Old rivalries through many a clash over recent times will be revived on Saturday in a match which, given the equally high stakes, surpasses even Wales’ Grand Slam coronation in the Millennium Stadium in 2005 or Ireland’s at the same venue in 2009. This time there is a World Cup semi-final at stake for both countries, the first for Wales since the inaugural tournament here in 1987, and the first for Ireland in seven attempts.
O’Callaghan maintains he doesn’t see this clash, or any other, as personal secondrow head-to-head battles, merely part of the overall forward collision. To his mind, the rivalry dates back to when he was watching Six Nations matches as a kid, and more regular league meetings have only added to that, with the regular closeness of the games merely accentuating the “bitter feeling” afterwards.
“When we’ve got results and when they’ve got results, they’ve thought we could have done better and we’ve done the same. I’d say that’s why there’s a good rivalry. It’s good. There’s rarely any bad blood there.
“I always find the Welsh game the most competitive; every ball is in play. You play against other teams and its hugely physical but you’d always be out on your feet after the Welsh game because it’s at international pace for the whole 80. I wouldn’t say massively physical, but it’s hugely intense.”
However, what gives this match-up an added frisson of uncertainty is how much Wales, more so than Ireland, have undergone change in recent times, with Ireland backs coach Alan Gaffney having spoken the day before of the degree to which a once predictably ambitious Wales have reinvented themselves and especially their running game.
The likes of George North, Scott Williams, Jonathan Davies and Rhys Priestland are at the cutting edge of a new wave of young backs from the valleys whom Andrew Trimble yesterday described as “outstanding”.
“Welsh backlines are always of a massively high standard and this one’s no different. They’ve got a decent blend of being able to get over the gain line and they’ve got the ability to stretch you as well with the width they put on the ball. We’ve definitely got a lot of homework to do this week,” said O’Callaghan.
In addition to their infusion of young backline tyros has been their remarkable 22-year-old captain Sam Warburton, whom Warren Gatland has hailed as the best number seven in Europe.
“He’s incredible, he’s set a massive standard,” said O’Callaghan with genuine respect. “In this tournament, you’d put him up there for a World XV the way he’s going. He’s leading by example in this tournament and we’re going to have to do an awful lot of work on his individual moments and how we can look to beat him to the breakdown. He’s up there with the likes of McCaw and Pocock in terms of whipping your ball.
“As we’ve learned in this competition, the breakdown and the tackle contest is where it’s at. If you can get dominance there, then you’ll probably come out at the right end of the scoreboard. He’s top class.”
For his part, Trimble is more entitled than most to be disappointed not to be making the starting team, but he is not one inclined to moping around, besides which the culture of the group would not permit it.
For as that Lions tour also underlined, the Irish and the Welsh tend to make good tourists, and there’s a palpable feeling from both camps (unlike, say, the French) that nobody in either squad wants this to end just yet.
“We’ve just said it’s unusual to be with the same bunch of fellas for this long and not be getting ratty with each other,” said Trimble. “It’s probably only a matter of time before we start killing each other! There’s definitely something special about this group. Donncha (O’Callaghan) does a great job in organising committees and basically making eejits out of people. More often than not, that’s the source of banter on the bus and in the team room.”
Sherry flies out as cover for Best
THE HIGHLY-promising Munster hooker Michael Sherry is travelling to New Zealand as precautionary cover for the injured Rory Best.
Best is continuing his rehabilitation and has not yet been ruled out of contention for Saturday’s quarter-final against Wales. The Irish management remain hopeful he will be fit for the semi-finals, should Ireland progress that far.
Ireland team manager Paul McNaughton said: “Rory Best is still progressing with his rehabilitation this week and while he is still rated doubtful for the Wales game, we felt it was prudent to bring Mike Sherry down to New Zealand as precautionary cover. We expect Mike to arrive in New Zealand on Thursday.”
