Ireland's Team Selection v England

by Brendan Cole

Should Declan Kidney stick or twist for Saturday's match against England?

Ireland's head coach can congratulate himself on the fact that there are really only two positions up for discussion this time around – with both revolving around the half-back area.

Elsewhere, he has gotten in right. Hooker is tied down thanks to Jerry Flannery’s superb throwing in at the lineout – with Rory Best way off the standard required out of touch so far – while number eight and blindside flanker are similarly firmly in the grip of in-form young guns Jamie Heaslip and Stephen Ferris despite the return to full fitness of Denis Leamy.

Some would also say that Keith Earls should be seen as a challenger to Tommy Bowe in the XV or Geordan Murphy on the bench but Bowe is having the best period of his Ireland career.

That said, Kidney’s decision to exclude Malcolm O’Kelly after having him on the bench for two matches indicates that changes can be made swiftly and the selection at lock will be a very interesting insight into the coaching thought process.

A surprise pick is not out of the question.

Looking towards the heart of the team, the major problem is perceived to be scrum-half, out-half and inside centre.

How accurate is that? Well, the first issue is that as at the World Cup Ronan O’Gara appeared to struggle to handle the blitz defence against Italy. This time, with a slight re-jig of the gameplan, Ireland eventually figured out a way to handle it – and bashed their way to victory through the pack.

Opposition Coaches May Spot Weakness Against Press Defence......

Even still, we have to assume that opposition coaches will pick up on the press/blitz as a way to get at Ireland. As there is no real alternative to O’Gara at out-half, and aside from getting the gameplan right, the solution will have to be found in the positions around him – 9 and 12.

On the gameplan front, a simple option would be to have O’Gara stand a little deeper, kick the ball more often and assume – most likely correctly – that England will not be able to hold onto the ball for long enough to make Ireland pay for giving the ball away. As a short term fix it could work, though against Wales, the issue of getting the ball back would become a live one.

The next option is to give O’Gara a little more space and time by putting Peter Stringer in at scrum-half.

As an aside, for those watching closely it is notable that Stringer has actually improved his rucking and tackling game both technically and in terms of decision making around the breakdown – one of the chief reasons O’Leary passed him out in the first place. He also has a very good kicking game these days and when you add to that that the fact that his passing is still a class apart when the presentation is good (in my book anyway), and you have a strong case for him. However, Ireland must also retain a basic level of strong athletic tacklers in the team and O'Leary definitely has the edge there, though we haven't really seen it so far in this tournament.

But the inside-centre must also play a role in defusing a press or blitz.

There are some who might argue that Brian O’Driscoll should take on the 12 role if not the 12 jersey but with the captain appearing to relish the wider channel, that is unlikely to happen now. If anything, O’Driscoll has been more inclined to take himself over to the wing than towards the inside in this year’s tournament. Overall, keeping Ireland’s best back in his best position is, at this stage, a no brainer.

Gordon D’Arcy is the next name to look at. Ireland’s plan at RWC 2007 was to use D’Arcy’s carrying ability to make easy yards off short runs but instead they ended up giving opposition defences time to re-organise, principally due to the fact that D’Arcy lacks the bulk to make yards quickly.  

D'Arcy and O'Driscoll - complementary as a pair?

Bringing in Gordon D’Arcy is the next suggestion but it is one surrounded by doubts. Removing the rose tinted spectacles, the fact remains that as a pair, O’Driscoll and D’Arcy frustrated more often than they fizzed. Both are class players but in terms of how they play in attack, they are quite similar. D’Arcy runs slightly better, O’Driscoll passes and offloads slightly better and in other facets of the game, O’Driscoll is superior.

In the past, Ireland have been inclined to use D’Arcy’s to make the same play – a charge off a short run – over and over. For a variety of reasons, it didn’t work and it proved a particular weak strategy against the souped up RWC 2007 blitz defences. It is likely that under Kidney, Ireland would use D’Arcy differently and like other Leinster players, he might suddenly begin to prosper, but even so, it is legitimate to question his suitability for such a key creative role.

Some players exude possibility when they get on the ball, others are all about end product. Paddy Wallace, whatever else you say about him, is one of those players for whom the pitch lights up when he is in possession: a creator of uncertainty in opposition minds. That said, he has not been very robust so far and has yet to really show what he can do.

Overall, however, Ireland do appear to play with better flow and structure when they have in Wallace an excellent passer of the ball at 12.

The essential question is this: "which player gives Ireland the best chance of beating a defence that presses up on O’Gara?"

For me, it’s still Wallace, and there is a strong case for Stringer too…….