Murray Kinsella reports from Wembley
THERE WERE STRONG individual performances across the park from Ireland’s players as they ran in six tries in their 44-10 win over Romania at Wembley, leaving Joe Schmidt with some difficult selection decisions ahead.
Ireland take on Italy at Olympic Park next Sunday in their third pool game of the World Cup, a fixture that has long been seen as the ideal time for Schmidt to fully unleash his first-choice XV.
There were always likely to be demanding calls for the Kiwi head coach to make in the back three, but that particular dilemma has only increased after this comfortable win over the Romanians.
Rob Kearney’s glute/hip issue complicates the matter somewhat, Simon Zebo the obvious starter at fullback if Kearney does not recover, while out on the wings Dave Kearney, Keith Earls, Tommy Bowe and Luke Fitzgerald are all strong candidates.
In midfield, the expected return of Robbie Henshaw will be a relief for Ireland, but Darren Cave was excellent against Lyn Howells’ Romania, shifting out to the 13 role later in the game.
I thought there was a number of players that performed really well and will create a bit of a selection headache for us leading into Italy,” said Schmidt. “The midfield pairing (of Jared Payne and Cave) went well.
“I felt Darren Cave got through a power of work as well as making a couple of line breaks. Jared Payne, again. I thought Simon Zebo did really well. His pass for Keith Earls’ (first) try was exceptional as was Keith’s acceleration to get in at the corner.”
Earls’ second score soon after half time saw him equal Brian O’Driscoll’s record of seven World Cup tries for Ireland, and Schmidt suggested that the Limerick man will be pleased to be in such prestigious company.
“I know Keith well enough to know that he’ll be fully focused on what it means for the team,” said Schmidt.
“I thought he took the tries well and I think he’s played really well in the two games we’ve played so far, so he’ll just be focused on that and hoping that he can continue to deliver that for the team.
“I guess it’s nice for him to be mentioned in the same sentence as Brian O’Driscoll, because I suppose that’s the standard that any back in an Irish backline wants to aspire.”
On the opposite wing, Bowe looked more like the powerful and confident player Ireland fans have cherished in recent years. His aerial game was much improved, one overhead catch and inside pass to Zebo standing out, while his defence was strong.
The two tries Bowe scored were impressive finishes, particularly the first one. That first-half score came in the right corner after Ireland had failed to tie down the drifting Romania defenders on the inside.
“We certainly didn’t give him a kick,” said Schmidt of Bowe’s response to his recent bad form. “He certainly kickstarts himself. I thought he had a super game. He finished a try in the corner really well.
“I thought he was incredibly strong in the air. He made a fantastic low tackle to allow Jared Payne to get in over the ball and make a turnover in the second-half. So, on both sides of the ball, I felt that Tommy was really good today.”
It wasn’t all about the backline in Wembley, however, with Schmidt also picking out tighthead Nathan White, loosehead Cian Healy, lock Devin Toner and back rows Jamie Heaslip and Chris Henry for praise.
“Up front, Nathan White did a really good job and it’s fantastic to have Cian taking the ball forward,” said Schmidt. “He did lose a couple in the 22 which will frustrate him, but each step he takes is a bit positive for us.
Dev Toner responded to a bit of pressure really well. I thought he called the lineouts well. He physically dominated the lineout well. In the loose, I think the longer the game went on, the more Chris Henry got into it and got a couple of smart turnovers.
“To be honest, I felt Jamie led from the front. His early carries were really strong and he certainly won the collisions when he did carry and allowed us to get onto the front foot.”
A squad of 31 players with strong individual form throughout it. It’s been a positive beginning for Ireland at the World Cup.
