IRELAND COACH DECLAN Kidney lauded the bravery of his team as they prevented a rampant Welsh side from completing an unlikely comeback and win 30 – 22 in today’s Six Nations opener in Cardiff.
Ireland have began the day in clinical form and made the reigning champions look ordinary as they raced to a 30 -3 lead minutes into the second half.
It was Wales who finished strongest, however, forcing Ireland’s 14 men to hang on, putting in tackle after tackle for lengthy periods to inflict an eighth consecutive defeat on the holders.
“Obviously we’d be delighted with (the start) and the second half we’ll have to take a good look at.” Kidney told RTE Sport post match.
“You can’t practice what they did out there, but I’d like to believe that it will give them a lot of confidence in how they play for one another and how they work really hard. Because fellas didn’t care about themselves out there, they just put themselves on the line.”
True to form, Kidney was eager to play down the significance of both the result and the impressive first half display. He asserted that the win was “a great start but that’s just what it is. A good start.”
The coach then cited the small margins that made the big difference in the first half. Namely the solid block-down from Rory Best on Dan Biggar’s attempted kick which paved the way for the second try of the game.
The improvised skill displayed by Simon Zebo in the build-up to Cian Healy’s try was rivalled only by the brilliance of Brian O’Driscoll to suck in three defenders before passing through the smallest of gaps to give the Munster wing the opening score of the tournament.
The veteran centre, playing his first game without the captaincy since 2003, then played a leading roll in leading the back division’s defensive efforts to claim a deserved man-of-the-match medal.
‘That’s Brian’
“He was brilliant wasn’t he,” Kidney said of his former skipper, “but that’s Brian, isn’t it?
“Like we said we wanted Brian the player as much as Brian the captain and he was brilliant today.”
Amongst those who put their body on the line for Ireland today, Mike Ross, Peter O’Mahony and Gordon D’Arcy were forced to depart the scene early.
Fortunately, Ireland’s coaching indicated that none of that trio’s knocks are thought to be serious. However, D’Arcy will require a scan to determine his fitness for next Sunday’s meeting with England at the Aviva Stadium.
