AS MUCH AS sportspeople like to tell us they work to a ‘next game’ focus, there are times where they struggle to shake off the previous one.
You can be certain that has been the case for many of those in the Ireland camp this week. Sure, there’s a game against Italy to look forward to today [KO 2.15pm Irish time, RTÉ2], and maybe, just maybe even a Six Nations title up for grabs, but the manner of last Saturday’s deflating defeat to France will have hung over the week.
And it was deeply deflating. Before Ireland were broken down by the speed and sledgehammer of their visitors, they were guilty of not making their own moments count. An attack that skirted around the France 22 for the guts of 20 minutes didn’t land a single blow. At the other end, Ireland rued costly yellow cards. Those are the bits in the review where the focus is on ‘us’ rather than ‘them’.
In the end Ireland were blown out of the water but how different the game could have been if they had figured out a way to crack the French resistance in the first half.
In the aftermath much of the focus centred around Ireland’s struggle to deal with France’s power but internally, they’ve been focusing on the things more directly in their control.
The performance stirred up questions around the current health of Ireland’s attack. This was a concern raised during the November games but one eased by the brilliant tries scored in the opening round defeat of England last month. Since then they’ve gone to Scotland and scored four tries on a day the attack enjoyed some superb moments, orchestrated by Sam Prendergast, but will feel they should have been more ruthless across the second half. In Wales the margins were tighter, Jack Conan and Jamie Osborne supplying Ireland’s tries in a nine-point win.
Then last weekend that sharpness and accuracy deserted them. The quality of France’s defence cannot be ignored, but without James Lowe and Mack Hansen on the edges Ireland looked short on ideas. Caelan Doris was held up in the first half, before Dan Sheehan peeled off a maul to dive over early in the second. After that, Ireland had to wait for the dying moments to cross through Cian Healy and Conan, when the game was long out of their reach.
An Italy defence that has been porous in this championship won’t pose the same problems so today Ireland will be determined to rediscover some of the slickness in attack we saw earlier in the tournament.
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“I think it’s been a step up from November anyway,” says fullback Hugo Keenan.
Hugo Keenan speaking to the media in Abbotstown this week. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“We knew in November that we definitely didn’t have the performances we had in us and we had some growth there and in those first three games, those first 20 minutes on the weekend there, of what we can be like as an attacking team.
“I think Goody [attack coach Andrew Goodman] has been brilliant, I was a big fan of his from his time in Leinster and I suppose it’s a little bit trickier, you get less time in camp to put your fingerprint on it but that’s the challenge and beauty for coaches and players to implement those attacking styles.”
There’s also the fact that Andy Farrell, who has a big say in coaching the Ireland attack, hasn’t been in camp as he prepares for his summer commitments with the Lions.
“You miss Faz, like he’s been a brilliant coach for us over the last few years, for me individually and as a team and he does have a bit to say in our attack, but between Si [Simon Easterby] and Goody and the player group, we sort of know a lot of the messages that Faz would want to be driving, what Goody is driving, and that we have to drive too. It’s a challenge but we’re trending well and we’ve showed it, and hopefully against Italy we can get that full attacking performance we know we have in us.”
Today’s challenge threatens to be a tough one mentally. Ireland need to pick themselves up from the France result and arrive with the right intensity if they are to avoid a final day slip up. Win, secure a bonus point, and then sit back and hope for the best as the rest of the day’s action unfolds. They need to come out of the game with no regrets to keep the pressure on both England and France in the later games.
“We know the likelihood isn’t great,” says Keenan. “We just want to have no regrets coming off the pitch, that we’ve done as much as we can and put in a performance that we’re chasing. And hopefully there will be some nerves watching (the other games) after that.
“The mindset is just to put in a good performance, it’s the last opportunity we have to do it with this group we have, I think it’s not only the three lads retiring, but the management who have put in so much work, the wider squad who we’re representing as well.
Keenan competes for a high ball with Thomas Ramos of France. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“There has been good performances, but consistently over the Six Nations and this year, we know there is a lot more in us. That’s the challenge this week, take not only the learnings from France but from the other games and put it all together, and it’s exciting because it’s a tough place to go, we know two years ago how tough a place it can be if you’re not on it against the Italians, they’ll make you pay for it.”
If Italy are to cause an upset, Ange Capuozzo will likely be to the fore. The Toulouse flyer started Italy’s first three Six Nations fixtures on the wing but was highly effective after moving to fullback against England, where he supplied the final touch to a wonderful team try. Today he’s back on the wing but remains a live threat.
“Yeah, he’s an exciting player isn’t he?” says Keenan.
“He’s a tough opponent to come up against. He brings that sort of Toulouse flair. You obviously saw his assist in that counter-attack against England at the weekend, the danger that he poses. It’s another exciting challenge. The French back three had a good day and there was obviously a few ways we probably could have shut them down better. We’ll be looking to impose that this week on Capuozzo and the back three.
“We all know the qualities they possess and how good they can be and the quality they have,” he adds.
“I think they’d obviously be disappointed with their defence, but they are just a passionate team that any day they play, but especially in Rome, we know they’re going to be bringing that emotional physical edge.
“It’s a great Test match, it’s great to have such a challenge after a loss as well to test yourself after you put things right, to show what we’ve got.”
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'It’s been a step up from November' - Keenan sees progress in Ireland's attack
AS MUCH AS sportspeople like to tell us they work to a ‘next game’ focus, there are times where they struggle to shake off the previous one.
You can be certain that has been the case for many of those in the Ireland camp this week. Sure, there’s a game against Italy to look forward to today [KO 2.15pm Irish time, RTÉ2], and maybe, just maybe even a Six Nations title up for grabs, but the manner of last Saturday’s deflating defeat to France will have hung over the week.
And it was deeply deflating. Before Ireland were broken down by the speed and sledgehammer of their visitors, they were guilty of not making their own moments count. An attack that skirted around the France 22 for the guts of 20 minutes didn’t land a single blow. At the other end, Ireland rued costly yellow cards. Those are the bits in the review where the focus is on ‘us’ rather than ‘them’.
In the end Ireland were blown out of the water but how different the game could have been if they had figured out a way to crack the French resistance in the first half.
In the aftermath much of the focus centred around Ireland’s struggle to deal with France’s power but internally, they’ve been focusing on the things more directly in their control.
The performance stirred up questions around the current health of Ireland’s attack. This was a concern raised during the November games but one eased by the brilliant tries scored in the opening round defeat of England last month. Since then they’ve gone to Scotland and scored four tries on a day the attack enjoyed some superb moments, orchestrated by Sam Prendergast, but will feel they should have been more ruthless across the second half. In Wales the margins were tighter, Jack Conan and Jamie Osborne supplying Ireland’s tries in a nine-point win.
Then last weekend that sharpness and accuracy deserted them. The quality of France’s defence cannot be ignored, but without James Lowe and Mack Hansen on the edges Ireland looked short on ideas. Caelan Doris was held up in the first half, before Dan Sheehan peeled off a maul to dive over early in the second. After that, Ireland had to wait for the dying moments to cross through Cian Healy and Conan, when the game was long out of their reach.
An Italy defence that has been porous in this championship won’t pose the same problems so today Ireland will be determined to rediscover some of the slickness in attack we saw earlier in the tournament.
“I think it’s been a step up from November anyway,” says fullback Hugo Keenan.
“We knew in November that we definitely didn’t have the performances we had in us and we had some growth there and in those first three games, those first 20 minutes on the weekend there, of what we can be like as an attacking team.
“I think Goody [attack coach Andrew Goodman] has been brilliant, I was a big fan of his from his time in Leinster and I suppose it’s a little bit trickier, you get less time in camp to put your fingerprint on it but that’s the challenge and beauty for coaches and players to implement those attacking styles.”
There’s also the fact that Andy Farrell, who has a big say in coaching the Ireland attack, hasn’t been in camp as he prepares for his summer commitments with the Lions.
“You miss Faz, like he’s been a brilliant coach for us over the last few years, for me individually and as a team and he does have a bit to say in our attack, but between Si [Simon Easterby] and Goody and the player group, we sort of know a lot of the messages that Faz would want to be driving, what Goody is driving, and that we have to drive too. It’s a challenge but we’re trending well and we’ve showed it, and hopefully against Italy we can get that full attacking performance we know we have in us.”
Today’s challenge threatens to be a tough one mentally. Ireland need to pick themselves up from the France result and arrive with the right intensity if they are to avoid a final day slip up. Win, secure a bonus point, and then sit back and hope for the best as the rest of the day’s action unfolds. They need to come out of the game with no regrets to keep the pressure on both England and France in the later games.
“We know the likelihood isn’t great,” says Keenan. “We just want to have no regrets coming off the pitch, that we’ve done as much as we can and put in a performance that we’re chasing. And hopefully there will be some nerves watching (the other games) after that.
“The mindset is just to put in a good performance, it’s the last opportunity we have to do it with this group we have, I think it’s not only the three lads retiring, but the management who have put in so much work, the wider squad who we’re representing as well.
“There has been good performances, but consistently over the Six Nations and this year, we know there is a lot more in us. That’s the challenge this week, take not only the learnings from France but from the other games and put it all together, and it’s exciting because it’s a tough place to go, we know two years ago how tough a place it can be if you’re not on it against the Italians, they’ll make you pay for it.”
If Italy are to cause an upset, Ange Capuozzo will likely be to the fore. The Toulouse flyer started Italy’s first three Six Nations fixtures on the wing but was highly effective after moving to fullback against England, where he supplied the final touch to a wonderful team try. Today he’s back on the wing but remains a live threat.
“Yeah, he’s an exciting player isn’t he?” says Keenan.
“He’s a tough opponent to come up against. He brings that sort of Toulouse flair. You obviously saw his assist in that counter-attack against England at the weekend, the danger that he poses. It’s another exciting challenge. The French back three had a good day and there was obviously a few ways we probably could have shut them down better. We’ll be looking to impose that this week on Capuozzo and the back three.
“We all know the qualities they possess and how good they can be and the quality they have,” he adds.
“I think they’d obviously be disappointed with their defence, but they are just a passionate team that any day they play, but especially in Rome, we know they’re going to be bringing that emotional physical edge.
“It’s a great Test match, it’s great to have such a challenge after a loss as well to test yourself after you put things right, to show what we’ve got.”
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Hugo Keenan Ireland Rugby six nations 2025 working it out