The last time Ulster and Ireland both played
in the same week, both teams lost. That was only two weeks ago, and this week
it was just the same. And both sides could have won their games, but for
slightly different circumstances.
Ireland’s problem was their players – they just
could not breach the Scottish line enough times to make the most of the
dominance they held in the possession and territory stats. For Ulster, their
inability to stop Glasgow’s dangerman Niko Matawalu proved fatal as he masterminded
Ulster’s downfall.
Not for the first time, it was a bad weekend
to be from Northern Ireland…
Warriors wipe the floor
It’s now been a long time since we last saw
Ulster put in a decent performance. You probably have to go back to the
Scarlets match in January for the last time Ulster really clicked into gear,
and on that day they ran in five tries in the second half to get all five
points. Since then, it’s been several stuttering performances, and the wheels
are threatening to fall off the Ulster wagon.
The loss to Glasgow leaves them only three
points ahead of the Scots, but with arguably an easier run in than the
Scotstoun side. It’s a very different situation to where the Ulstermen were
three weeks ago.
However, the better side did win the game.
Glasgow were better in attack, more clinical and defended well too. Their
scrum-half Niko Matawalu was a livewire, making quick darts down the wing and scoring
that vital fourth try for the home side. If the Warriors’ kicker Peter Horne
had gotten even two of his kicks then Ulster would have left with nothing.
For Ulster it was a case of slack defending
and not making most of the areas where they had an advantage. Too many times
the Glaswegians made a break through the Ulster defence and it eventually cost
them. On the flipside, they themselves did not break through enough times to
really trouble the Glasgow line, and in the scrum where they were completely
dominant they just could not make the most of that advantage.
Quite surprisingly, it was the boot of Ruan Pienaar
that also let Ulster down. He missed three kickable penalties and a conversion
which would have given Ulster the victory. However he was off target with those
four and Ulster were left rueing their missed chance. Many claim Pienaar looks
jaded – is he needing a rest?
Leaving that quandary behind, there were also
other worrying factors to take forward for Ulster, most notably yet another
injury, this time to Paddy Wallace, who has ruptured his anterior cruciate
ligament in his knee, ending his season. It is a big blow for the Ulstermen,
who would have liked to have had his experience for the Heineken Cup
quarter-final in April. They are lucky that Luke Marshall is really stepping up
well.
Ulster are back in action this Friday against
Treviso. There needs to be a change in Ulster’s fortunes, and fast…
Shamrocks
beaten by Flower of Scotland
Sunday was an ugly day for Irish rugby. In
Italy, Munster were mauled by Treviso. In Edinburgh, Ireland mauled Scotland in
every area of the game bar the scoreline.
Despite ending up with over 70% of the
possession and territory, Ireland
ended up on the wrong end of a 12-8 scoreline and left Murrayfield lamenting
missed opportunities and poor discipline.
It was a case of simply not taking their
chances. Ireland had plenty of ball to do something with it, yet they could
only cross the line once through Craig Gilroy. And then once Scotland got their
chances, they kicked their penalties through Greig Laidlaw and won the match.
The difference between the two sides was just
that. Scotland went for their kicks. Ireland did not. This was a poor selection
choice by Declan Kidney – despite knowing that Paddy Jackson does not kick for
Ulster, he selected the 21-year-old and nominated him to kick. It proved fatal,
as Jackson only landed one out of four.
What Kidney should have done was selected
another place-kicker in the team too, such as Fergus McFadden, so that in the
event of a poor kicking performance, they had someone to switch to. Outside his
goal-kicking, though, Jackson had a very impressive debut performance, linking
up well with Luke Marshall outside him.
Marshall himself was probably Ireland’s stand
out performer. He made two superb breaks, was very solid in defence and did
nothing to harm his international credentials. On the wing, Craig Gilroy also
had a great game, scoring Ireland’s only try, however he was withdrawn due to a
groin injury early in the second half.
Where Ireland lost it was similar to Ulster –
in the scrum. However, unlike Ulster, Ireland were absolutely crushed at the
set piece. First Tom Court and then David Kilcoyne both struggled to stand up
to the Scottish tighthead, and it was no surprise that Ireland lost. Rory Best
struggled at the line-out too, and lost Ireland some very good attacking
positions.
It is clear however, that Ronan O’Gara must
go. Once he came on, it was hoped that his kicking would be able to save
Ireland. However, he did just the opposite. He struggled to get the back line
going, his kicking wasn't quite on the money, and his cameo appearance was
summed up when he was caught in possession and decided rather than take the
tackle he would cross-kick along the line, only to hand possession straight to
ever dangerous Tim Visser – not good enough. It is a shame to see such a great player
go out on such a low note.
Much like Ulster, there will have to be some
improvement for Ireland by the time France come calling. Otherwise, the Italy
match could be a shoot-out for the Wooden Spoon…
Rabo
Round-Up
Zebre just can’t catch a break can they? This
time they were beaten out by one point by the Newport-Gwent Dragons and they
missed a late penalty to snatch victory from the Welsh side’s hands. However,
if they keep plugging away, they will eventually get the win they so richly
desire.
Good wins for Leinster and the Ospreys over
the Scarlets and Edinburgh respectively keep their play-off chances alive.
Leinster’s bonus point may also prove crucial once we get to the business end
of the season.
Congratulations to Connacht as well, who got
a great win away to Cardiff, even though they were missing their key man Dan
Parks to injury. They are no pushovers anymore, and they are now a tough side
for any team to beat.
But the plaudits of the weekend were drawn by
Treviso with a marvellous bonus point win over Munster in Italy. Five tries,
even with a man sin binned at one point, is no mean feat over any Irish side,
and the Italians have really shown their intent to cause many major scalps.
They will prove very difficult opposition for Ulster next weekend.
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