The Irish do their best to stop a Dan Carter attempt
Alicia Lloyd
Staff Writer
In the midst of the wreckage that was Irelands Euro 2012 football campaign; there was one small ray of light for those of us who had room in our lives for other sports, for a whole other set of boys in green. ��We�ll always have the rugby�� were the words that cheered us and we were comforted in the belief that our national rugby side could compete with the best in the world.
All in all it was going to be a tough week, we were playing the world champions in football and the world champions in rugby and if the week in question has taught us anything it was that we are a long way off being world champions on both counts.
To relive that third test is a painful experience, just as watching it was. So often you were tempted to switch off and go back to bed but many of us stuck out an 80 minutes that will haunt the rugby population of this isle for some time to come. I have no doubt that what the players are feeling in the aftermath of this hellish tour is something that those of us not on the pitch will never comprehend. Our beloved BOD�s face said it all, and even that probably didn�t portray the true magnitude of the disappointment and humiliation that they are feeling
But let�s look at this from a fans point of view. The fact is we were let down, hugely let down, so let down in fact that Irish rugby is ending a (very, very) long season at arguably its lowest point of the professional era. We have often faced disappointment- losing the World Cup quarter final to Wales was disappointing, yet even though Wales were the superior team that day, we were proud of the Irish lads, they�d given the tournament a great shot and had provided us with one of 2011�s sporting highlights – beating the Australians. This however is different.
It is not just about the fact that the All Blacks were the better team, nor is it about the fact that they were outstandingly clinical on the day. The Irish were lacking any sort of drive, no matter how outclassed they were, we want, deserve even, to see a bit of passion. They did everything they said they wouldn�t and repeated the same mistakes of the first test, nothing less than a sin in my book.
We can talk until we are blue in the face about the lack of sense in playing a three test series in New Zealand after what was essentially a twelve month season for our players, no doubt it was an arduous experience for the team and it would have been luckier had it been organised for us to have a nice little jaunt around the Pacific Islands- let the Scots play the All Blacks. But as a top tier nation one would expect that we could put up a decent fight against any side.
I was hugely angry with the reports of the mockery we were receiving down under and with the pessimism and lack of faith being expressed by certain commentators on these shores prior to the tour. Though they had good reason to be sceptical of any chance of Ireland pulling a big performance out of the bag, losing 30-9 to England at the end of the Six Nations in the manner in which we did didn�t allow for much hope.
Then came the 42-10 trouncing in the first test, which showed that the hope retained by some may have been unfounded. But still the truly loyal had faith in the abilities of our boys. I can honestly say that the second test was one of the proudest I have felt as an Irish rugby supporter. In the face of adversity and with their backs against the wall the team showed us a little of what they have in them, the early risers were rewarded with an Irish performance that made the All Blacks and the rugby-mad New Zealand nation sit up and take notice of what they refer to (somewhat patronisingly) as the �Plucky Irish�. Oh, did they notice. Reports emerged of posters surrounding the AB�s team hotel walls detailing ways in which to dismantle the game-plan of Mike Ross alone.
We awoke for the third test hoping and expecting to see something special from the Irish but in the first 20 minutes it was all over and what ensued was nothing less than sickening. The recording of our greatest ever loss to the All Blacks eclipses somewhat, in fact let�s be brutal here, totally and completely, the pride of the second test performance.
The fans are angry, and have every right to be. Saturday�s Newstalk heard listeners complaining that it is high-time we were properly critical of the national rugby side, after all they are professional players. We�re a sports mad little nation and are often reluctant to heap criticism on our rugby boys (out of love no doubt), still basking in the glory of 2009 and clinging to the belief that this is the �golden era�. Well no more. touching on the love we have for our boys, we would always be happy to place bets on them, especially with the fact that rugby betting on your phone on your phone is much easier compared to what it used to be. I can quite comfortably say we won’t be much longer.
The ordeal we suffered on Saturday morning last was what I would describe as soul destroying. Stand up for the boys in green you say? On this occasion I think I�ll stay sitting. Not because of any views akin to those of some idiot like Roy Keane (betraying us like that on English TV, really Roy?) but because that�s what the players would want us to do. They�ve let us down and they know it.
There are a whole range of issues that need to be addressed- ones that could and should for that matter be discussed at length. It�s time that we start emulating teams such as Wales, bringing in more youth, it shouldn�t matter how young and inexperienced you are if you�re good enough. It�s time that place was made in the management team for Leinster�s hugely successful Joe Schmidt (he�s a Kiwi after all, just think how useful that mind-set could have been against that unforgiving all-black storm). It�s time that the National side was made a development priority over the provinces.
Though there were clearly some bad decisions made by management- one would have to question the motives behind starting Paddy Wallace who had been with the squad for just two days when we could have started O�Gara at 10 and Sexton at 12- a very substantial amount of the fault lies with the players. They repeated their mistakes in allowing the All Blacks to make so many turnovers.
Wales made the same error with regards to kicking away instead of retaining possession in the dying minutes of their second and third tests against Australia, costing them the games respectively. A horrifying mistake and as a result of the ensuing disappointment they say they�re hungry to play the Aussies again. Something tells me that our boys would be very reluctant to play the AB�s again anytime soon and there is something dreadfully demoralising about that.
We now need time; the team will have to recuperate and regroup, learn from the hurt and use it intelligently in the seeking of redemption. Next time they put on that green jersey they should do their loyal fans justice and before long we�ll be standing again.
The truth is that Ireland are facing a long development process that should ultimately be geared towards 2015 but here�s hoping that our golden generation show us what fight they have left (even though I�m �annoyed� with them I just can�t ditch the hope). And if you can�t wait that long there is still one other small ray of light- Irish golfers can still compete with the best in the world and despite Graeme McDowell�s disappointment in the US Open , there�s still a lot of golf to play this summer.
A 25 foot putt, a 50 metre drop kick and 25 shots on goal- all missed opportunities that will be the stuff of nightmares for years to come for this sports mad little nation.
