Match statistics can often be misleading, and when you examine the figures from Ireland’s win over Russia, you would naturally assume that it was a completely dominant performance from Joe Schmidt’s side. They had 589 metres run compared to Russia’s 150, 16 line breaks to Russia’s 2 and 23 defenders beaten to Russia’s 11. … Continue reading Labour-Intensive
Category: Peter O’Mahony
Heavy Lies The Crown
History tells us that being favourites doesn't suit Ireland, and even though this hasn't been as much of a problem for Joe Schmidt as it was for his predecessors, there's still a sense of discomfort that goes with knowing that they are short odds to win their next Test. As first-up games in the … Continue reading Heavy Lies The Crown
Sounding The Claxon
The phrase ‘go to the well’ is used to describe a team who have to dig deep to produce a brilliant, one-off performance to seal a famous win. It usually applies to a display that is out of the ordinary, and it has been thrown around a fair bit since Ireland beat Australia on … Continue reading Sounding The Claxon
All Square
“We felt the lightning, And we waited on the thunder, Waited on the thunder, I awoke last night to the sound of thunder, How far off I sat and wondered” -Bob Seger - Night Moves (1976) When Ireland lost to Australia in Brisbane, they looked a pale imitation of the team that dominated … Continue reading All Square
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