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Ireland lost leaders in key stages of this strange, gripping and brutal match, but they suffered defeat because their senior men made serious mistakes at the worst possible time.
Ether O’Mahony’s red card made it difficult, but his teammates’ response in the next 27 minutes of the first half was the best period of play we’ve seen from Andy Farrell’s team despite James’s magnificent injury. Ryan made things worse. .
They scored 13 unanswered points and made Wales tremble. His approach was relentlessly physical and was recognized to be unsustainable.
Ireland tried to conserve energy after the break by kicking the ball to Wales, but their inaccuracy simply invited the hosts into the game and all their hard work was undone as they compounded mistake after mistake and gave themselves too much to chase.
This should be a watershed moment for the coach, because it was the older players who lost the plot.
O’Mahony’s red card was reckless from an experienced player who saw red for something similar, albeit less blunt, while playing for Munster in Wales earlier this season.
Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton were painfully slow at times but still handled things well before the break before losing their way after the break with costly loose kicks.
Keith Earls coughed up a penalty when calm was most needed, Garry Ringrose attempted a volley that must have had his former coach Joe Schmidt spitting his chocolate while watching from New Zealand.
The moments of poor discipline were compounded by poor defense on both attempts. And yet the game was still up for grabs in the final moments as the 14 men produced an All Blacks-like assault with Hugo Keenan, Ringrose, James Lowe and Jordan Larmour trying to punish Gareth Davies’ mistake and looking as if they could just cut loose.
It all came down to Billy Burns’ ability to find the touch of a penalty.
He’s done it a million times and would normally do it in his sleep, but the Ulster vice-captain has never done it live on such a big stage with so much at stake.
Previously, he had tried a cross kick when he had men yelling for the pass, but it’s the final mistake that will haunt him forever.
On a sliding scale, his mistake wasn’t as bad as O’Mahony’s, but it cost the team dearly.
And he showed the insanity of persisting with Sexton at all times when his assistants don’t have a chance to learn on the job.
There is no better example for Farrell than the performance of the supporting cast in Cardiff.
Tadhg Beirne was huge, Robbie Henshaw was sensational, Josh van der Flier was a beginner, and Andrew Porter was outrageously physical.
The bank came in and broke the script, refusing to accept a result that appeared to have slipped past 14 men.
On one carry, Rónan Kelleher provided the evidence to back him up as the team’s future hooker. The power of Dave Kilcoyne was a great addition, Jamison Gibson-Park changed the beat and suddenly the Welsh were on edge.
France comes into town on Sunday buzzing for their win over a ridiculously ambitious Italian team that played into their hands.
Ireland have injury concerns and the effort will take its toll, but it is a game they can win.
Farrell’s first year in charge was marred by inconsistency, but if his team can produce that level of precision out of reach, he can be so combative in contesting the opponent’s shot, so physical in the park, and so dangerous on the ball. in hand, then they will be. a handful for anyone.
Although they struggled to break through a Welsh defense with one man lower, Ireland’s work on the ruck was impressive and the good work on evidence continued in the 2020 final game against Scotland.
Their ambition in pursuing the game and their driving skills were further proof that they can cause trouble for the opposition when given the chance.
Some of those who gave their best performances in green were undone by the more experienced players.
O’Mahony is the most obvious and his likely expulsion will open the door for Rhys Ruddock and Gavin Coombes. Jack Conan is definitely worth looking at again.
It seems likely that Murray will remain on the team. He’s been in good shape recently and did a lot just before the break, but his second half was bad.
Rather than include a rival like Luke McGrath or John Cooney in form, Farrell chose an impact player in Jamison Gibson-Park and one for the future in Craig Casey.
Gibson-Park started at Twickenham, but with questions about Sexton’s ability to overcome his head injury, it’s a safe bet that Murray will wear No. 9 against the sensational Antoine Dupont next week.
Sexton remains the team’s biggest problem and Burns’ terrible mistake will do nothing to persuade coaches that it’s time to move on.
It shouldn’t detract from the fact that Leinster’s man is not the player he once was and is unlikely to improve as the seasons progress.
Like his understudy, he missed a major kick to touch, a growing feature of his game in recent years, but his overall movement and decision-making just aren’t as accurate as they used to be.
His head injury may rule him out, meaning Farrell has to choose between the injured Burns and Ross Byrne, who has yet to be convinced in green.
Regardless of whether he’s cleared to play, Sexton will miss some of the team’s training sessions this week, so he gives the coach a cover to try out with someone else if he wants, but there’s no indication that’s on his radar. at this time.
Farrell was clearly frustrated by the consequences and it is understandable.
But, when you review the footage before collecting your thoughts, you’ll see a succession of strong performances from players who are clearly playing for him.
Their instinct will be to trust that their great leaders will learn from experience and come back stronger, but the lesson is surely that supporting dynamic and fit players is the way to go.
It won’t feel like that, but losing a bonus point in those circumstances is not a bad result. Now, it is up to the management to match the bravery of the team and ignore the reputation in the selection room.
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