IT’S ALWAYS BETTER to be there, for many reasons.
The atmosphere is the obvious one but watching rugby live in the flesh also allows you to truly appreciate the physicality involved. You can often hear the hits as they thunder in.
And the real-life wide-angle view that the TV cameras so often flash away from to focus on the little details also allows you to understand just how much of the hard work in rugby happens off the ball.
Chasing kicks, tracking back, working to the other side of rucks, running support lines that are so often not rewarded with a pass. It’s exhausting stuff.
Off-the-ball work is one of the things this Ireland team are good at. Even at the highest level of the game, they’re often out-working the opposition off the ball. It’s exemplified by their creative wing pair, James Lowe and Mack Hansen.
There were injury doubts over both in the wake of the Scotland game last weekend but they’ve been passed fit for Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand. It’s an enormous boost for Andy Farrell’s side because they’ve both become so important.
Of course, Hansen still has to come through the next few days without any setbacks. He suffered a calf issue last weekend but Farrell said this afternoon that he’s “coming good” and Ireland are confident he’ll be good to go on Saturday.
If you’re lucky enough to be going to the game this weekend in Paris or get to watch them live in the future, it’s worth doing your own ‘player cam’ on Hansen and Lowe for a few minutes at least, particularly when Ireland are attacking.
Encouraged by Farrell and attack coach Mike Catt to roam the pitch, rather than always holding width on their wings, it’s intriguing to see how Lowe and Hansen flit around the place. Sometimes they’ll slowly and sneakily work into a position from which to pounce, other times they’ll sprint flat out to get across the pitch and help create a numbers-up attacking situation.
Sometimes they’ll get on the ball to make the break, give the scoring pass, or finish themselves, but other times it’s just their presence that matters, giving defenders a late bit of stress as they decide which player to tackle. Changing the picture for the defence at a very late moment is one of Ireland’s key weapons in attack.
Hansen and Lowe are often triggered in their movements by out-half Johnny Sexton. He will roar at them to trail him across the pitch, but that’s not always the case. These guys get it. They understand the game and have a real feel for the sport. That’s what Farrell saw in them and has pushed them to double down on. Instinct is a wonderful thing.
These days, it’s also relevant to Hansen and Lowe’s defensive work. The demands of defending on the wing are intense at Test level these days. It’s always been said that outside centre is the most difficult position to defend in, but one can easily argue that it’s actually the wing now.
Lowe and Hansen are tasked with closing down space at speed, often leaving attackers free outside as they bid to stop the ball. It’s high-stakes stuff but both of Ireland’s wings have become better and better with their decision-making.
They’ve also improved their defensive breakdown work, which makes sense given that breakdowns in wide channels usually don’t have lots of heavy forwards arriving in to clear them out. There are opportunities out there, but wings weren’t traditionally proficient at jackaling.
Ireland have clearly pushed their wing pair to attack the ball on the ground and their technical skills have improved. Both Lowe and Hansen are now going after the ball post-tackle, bringing a new weapon to the Irish defence.
Lowe’s powerful left boot is also key to Ireland’s kicking game, with Farrell’s team regularly using the length of his kicks to win field position. Hansen doesn’t have the same power but he is a confident chip kicker and looks to use that skill when he’s tight for space down the touchline.
Off the pitch, the Irish wings are larger-than-life characters.
They’re a bit wacky, with team-mates enjoying the unique vibe they bring to camp. Hansen is particularly different in an environment that has traditionally been extremely serious. Farrell has encouraged all of his players to just be themselves and Hansen has certainly leant into that.
Lowe is a great speaker, capable of real humour in the media setting that understandably sees some players go into their shells. The Irish wings are confident men and they generally seem quite unfazed by the pressure that Test rugby brings.
That’s not to say that there aren’t serious professionals. Despite the laidback attitude, they work extremely hard on their skills and it’s obvious that they bring real fire on the pitch.
We’ve seen both of them celebrating big defensive moments with hearty punches of the air, as well as sometimes encouraging the crowd to give more.
Presuming that Hansen has no setbacks in the coming days, it’s heartening for Ireland to be able to tackle the All Blacks with their wacky, wonderful wings.