by Brendan Cole
As expected, Ireland beat Namibia in Bordeaux on Sunday evening, but that was about the only thing that went to plan on a deeply worrying night for Eddie O'Sullivan and his Irish team. First things first: credit must go to Namibia for whom this was their best ever World Cup performance. On a decent day all round for the minnows of RWC 2007, they performed best of all; scoring two tries of their own against top-six oppostion and keeping the score to a very respectable level: it would have been even closer had they not had a 'try' for which replays proved had not been grounded properly registered against them in the closing minutes.
For Ireland, the concerns from the warm up games – the defeat to Scotland and the last minute win over Italy in the weeks coming intot he tournament – were magnified rather than dispelled. Top of the list of failings and misfires was the fact that for the third time in a row, Ireland's forwards were dominated at vital stages. The handling is also a major worry: Ireland knocked on perhaps more than in any prior game in the Eddie O'Sullivan era, while the failure of certain individuals to make any real impact on this match game - David Wallace was hardly seen - is also a major problem. Aside from Wallace, some individuals - Ronan O'Gara, Rory Best and Denis Hickie in particular - were visible but just downright poor.
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The form of Paul O'Connell, meanwhile, is also a big concern: the pack leader has mixed the good with the bad and the ugly far too much in Ireland's recent games. Sporadic good form was shown by Brian O'Driscoll and Denis Leamy, Ireland's two best players on the night, but without a masssive upturn in performance from several key colleagues, Ireland's World Cup dream is all but over.
In fact, on the evidence of tonight's match, Georgia, who they play on Saturday, are a clear danger and when you consider that Namibia essentially played like Argentina-lite, it is almost impossible to see how this pack will deal with the likes of Leguizamon and Fernandez Lobbe, while Argentina's back division is far superior to the Namibian unit.
It is strange to consider how badly the match finished when you consider that Ireland actually played reasonably in the first half; particularly the first quarter. Admittedly, they lacked fluency, but at times they showed definite signs of rediscovering the verve of the Six Nations in Spring and the Autumn internationals.
In fact, they could not have had a more perfect start - what might have happened had Namibia gotten off to a flyer we will never know – with Brian O'Driscoll getting a try in the fourth minute: the talismanic centre's return to full fitness and, some mis-steps aside, generally decent form was one of the few positives on a more genuinely awful night for most of Eddie O'Sullivan’s team.
His score was borne of a typical mix of good skills, vision and bustling efficiency; spotting that Namibia had nobody at full-back after Ireland made yards down the left through Girvan Dempsey, he chipped from the Namibian '22 before beating the cover to make the touchdown. Ronan O'Gara stepped up and made the conversion. All too easy.
Namibian heads didn't drop – thanks to a combination of their own courage and Ireland's ineptitude they never did – and a hammering tackle on Denis Hickie soon after by Namibian opposite number Ryab Witbooi, which left the Irish winger groggy, was a harbinger of things to come.
Things were yet to go seriously awry however, and having kicked one penalty in the Namibia '22 to touch but failed to score off the lineout, O'Gara stuck over a penalty.
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Ireland were quickly back in the red zone and from another penalty near the Namibian line, O'Gara spotted that Andrew Trimble was in space on the far wing and kicked an accurate crossfield bomb to the young Ulsterman, who caught well and dotted down under pressure for another Ireland score.
O'Gara missed the conversion this time, but at 15-0 with 20 minutes gone, Ireland looked like having an easy night. Such was the poverty of their subsequent display, the same thought most likely crossed the team's collective mind: they certainly played as if it had. A third try on the half hour – this time a maul led by Donncha O'Callaghan setting it up for Simon Easterby to dive over the from a yard or two out - kept things ticking over.
But aside from the scores, Irish errors were all too frequent. Rory Best in particular seemed to have great difficulty in executing the simplest of skills, but, in truth, all over the field Ireland were inclined to knock on or drop the ball at the earliest opportunity.
Hickie's dropped pass with the line gaping was symptomatic of things to come in a second half which must go down as the worst 40 minutes from an Irish team since Lens in 1999.
Namibia ended the first half on something of a high: Emile Wessels knocking over a long-range penalty to get them on the scoreboard and the crowd, which was supportive of the underdogs all night; frequent chants of 'allez les bleus' eclipsing a solitary and rather embarassed 'Fields of Athenry' got behind them as they walked off.
A penalty try from a scrum – the one phase in which Ireland did manage to dominate as a top nation should - put Ireland in the driving seat early in the second 40; two collapses had referee Jutge trotting from the five metres out and near the touchline, and Ronan O'Gara converted from directly in front. It seemed for all the wolrd as though from there Ireland would meander to an acceptable if slightly unconvincing win.
Namibia, specifically their two wingers, both of whom looked to have more verve and enthusiasm than the entire Irish backline put together, had other ideas though.
A surging maul by their pack – perhaps the quickest concerted 15 metre drive of the competition so far – put Ireland on the back foot and into their own '22. Namibia then shifted it left to Witbooi, whose pace disconcerted the Irish cover and whose chip completely exposed it. Dempsey tried his best to get back but centre Piet Van Zyl beat him to the ball and touched down – the TMO confirming that, although slow motion made it look somewhat suspect, he had scored a legitimate try.
Ireland were rocked and minutes later took another sucker punch. This time it was the right wing Heine Bock who created the havoc; an awful drop out from O’Driscoll was deflected into the air and then caught by Namibia. They moved quickly from the left half of the pitch and soon had a disorganised Ireland at sixes and sevens. In the end it was numbers one and three that were exposed: Marcus Horan and John Hayes had no answer to Bock's stepping and Dempsey was again the last line of defence. His tackle stopped the Namibian just short, but wasn't enough to prevent him rolling onto his back and popping to the supporting blindside forward Jacques Nieuwenhuis, who did well to hold on – the best piece of handling on the night – and get over.
Both tries were excellent examples of what even the most limited team can achieve with a good attitude and some enthusiasm: something Ireland were sorely lacking.
Flanerry's 'try' – replays confirmed he lost it over the line and Mr Jutge would surely have gone to the TMO had a bigger nation been involved - ended any thoughts of an unlikely Namibian comeback. O'Driscoll again was instrumental in it's creation, feeding Hickie to get Namibia scrambling and going on to be first receiver from the ruck before taking a big hit when transferring to Flannery, who just got over only to lose the ball after he had done so.
An awful night for Ireland – truly 'shocking' as coach Eddie O’Sullivan admitted afterwards – and it can only be hoped that they, like the rest of the Six Nations teams who have all performed poorly, will snap out of it in time for the big games at the end of the month.
