IRELAND BOSS SIMON Easterby was pleased with how his side “dug ourselves out” of a hole in Cardiff to notch a 27-18 win over Wales, claiming the Triple Crown and keeping their Grand Slam bid on track.
Easterby criticised some of the Irish media commentary in the build-up to today’s clash at the Principality, which he felt completely underestimated the Welsh team.
It was a helter-skelter contest in Cardiff as Ireland fell behind during Garry Ringrose’s 20-minute red card window, but Easterby’s side edged back in front in the second half to claim their third win of this championship.
He said Ireland had not been surprised at how good Wales were after the arrival of Matt Sherratt as interim head coach following Warren Gatland’s departure.
“There has been some really poor media talk around Wales and the state of the game,” said Easterby after his side’s side.
“We knew that they would be tough opposition today. We knew that they would play with passion, you look at some of the tries they scored, even the one Ellis Mee didn’t score in the corner, they have the ability to play well and play with ball in hand.
“They made us work really hard for it. Matt has done a brilliant job. We knew the game would be a lot tougher than some people in the media suggested and it panned out that way.”
Easterby acknowledged that Ireland have lots amount to work on after their win in Wales but he was happy with how his players managed a challenging situation.
“I’m pleased with the result but there are lots of things in the game that we feel we could have done better,” he said. “We go down in the game, we go down a man, and then we go down on the scoreboard.
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Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“We came in at half time and felt like if we played in the right way and did things better our way then we felt we could dominate them.
“We had a lot of possession and territory for 30 minutes, just didn’t quite get our accuracy right in terms of scoring the points that we needed.
“We know that Wales would come back into it if we gave them an opportunity and we did that. I was pleased that we responded to being in a big of a hole and we dug ourselves out and took the game away from them in the last 20.”
It was a big day for several young Irish players, with tighthead prop Thomas Clarkson making his first Ireland start, Jamie Osborne getting his Six Nations debut at fullback, Jack Boyle debuting off the bench, and Gus McCarthy getting his first taste of action in the championship.
Easterby believes they will have gained a huge amount from being involved in this occasion.
“Building those experiences for players, playing in the Millennium Stadium with the roof closed, the third game of a Six Nations where everything is probably against the team you’re playing against, and then we come out and get a result like that, that’s exactly what we are trying to do all the time,” said Easterby.
“We are trying to build continuity in selection but also build that depth and understand and know-how with experiences they wouldn’t get playing URC rugby or European rugby.
“I was really pleased with all the guys who had the opportunity to start the game, guys off the bench.
“Obviously Jack Boyle, a special mention to him, making his debut. He has worked really hard to get to this position, he’s had a lot of support from family and people around him but he’s been excellent this week. He was excellent last Friday [for Leinster]. I think he showed today why he has got a bright future.”
Easterby said Jack Conan was replaced early in the second half due to a lower-back injury, while Mack Hansen suffered cramp late in the game.
Bundee Aki and Jack Boyle. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Of course, Ireland could lose Garry Rinrgrose to suspension following his red card for a dangerous tackle.
“Those can go either way,” said Easterby of the decision. “Ringer is a great player for us, everything he does is with intent in terms of the speed he works at. That’s probably what cost him there, the speed of his movement off the line and he just doesn’t quite drop enough.
“He’s certainly far from a dirty player, it’s just one of those things, it could have gone either way. It could have been a yellow.”
The Ireland coach reported that captain Caelan Doris ran with the team at their final session in Cardiff yesterday, suggesting he is recovering well from the knee issue that kept him out of today’s game.
They will hope to have him back for the visit of France to Dublin in two weeks.
“He’s done really well,” said Easterby.
“He ran yesterday out on the pitch during the captain’s run. We’d be confident he’s trucking in the right direction and hopefully we see a bit of an improvement as the week goes on.”
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'There has been some really poor media talk around Wales' - Easterby
IRELAND BOSS SIMON Easterby was pleased with how his side “dug ourselves out” of a hole in Cardiff to notch a 27-18 win over Wales, claiming the Triple Crown and keeping their Grand Slam bid on track.
Easterby criticised some of the Irish media commentary in the build-up to today’s clash at the Principality, which he felt completely underestimated the Welsh team.
It was a helter-skelter contest in Cardiff as Ireland fell behind during Garry Ringrose’s 20-minute red card window, but Easterby’s side edged back in front in the second half to claim their third win of this championship.
He said Ireland had not been surprised at how good Wales were after the arrival of Matt Sherratt as interim head coach following Warren Gatland’s departure.
“There has been some really poor media talk around Wales and the state of the game,” said Easterby after his side’s side.
“We knew that they would be tough opposition today. We knew that they would play with passion, you look at some of the tries they scored, even the one Ellis Mee didn’t score in the corner, they have the ability to play well and play with ball in hand.
“They made us work really hard for it. Matt has done a brilliant job. We knew the game would be a lot tougher than some people in the media suggested and it panned out that way.”
Easterby acknowledged that Ireland have lots amount to work on after their win in Wales but he was happy with how his players managed a challenging situation.
“I’m pleased with the result but there are lots of things in the game that we feel we could have done better,” he said. “We go down in the game, we go down a man, and then we go down on the scoreboard.
“We came in at half time and felt like if we played in the right way and did things better our way then we felt we could dominate them.
“We had a lot of possession and territory for 30 minutes, just didn’t quite get our accuracy right in terms of scoring the points that we needed.
“We know that Wales would come back into it if we gave them an opportunity and we did that. I was pleased that we responded to being in a big of a hole and we dug ourselves out and took the game away from them in the last 20.”
It was a big day for several young Irish players, with tighthead prop Thomas Clarkson making his first Ireland start, Jamie Osborne getting his Six Nations debut at fullback, Jack Boyle debuting off the bench, and Gus McCarthy getting his first taste of action in the championship.
Easterby believes they will have gained a huge amount from being involved in this occasion.
“Building those experiences for players, playing in the Millennium Stadium with the roof closed, the third game of a Six Nations where everything is probably against the team you’re playing against, and then we come out and get a result like that, that’s exactly what we are trying to do all the time,” said Easterby.
“We are trying to build continuity in selection but also build that depth and understand and know-how with experiences they wouldn’t get playing URC rugby or European rugby.
“I was really pleased with all the guys who had the opportunity to start the game, guys off the bench.
“Obviously Jack Boyle, a special mention to him, making his debut. He has worked really hard to get to this position, he’s had a lot of support from family and people around him but he’s been excellent this week. He was excellent last Friday [for Leinster]. I think he showed today why he has got a bright future.”
Easterby said Jack Conan was replaced early in the second half due to a lower-back injury, while Mack Hansen suffered cramp late in the game.
Of course, Ireland could lose Garry Rinrgrose to suspension following his red card for a dangerous tackle.
“Those can go either way,” said Easterby of the decision. “Ringer is a great player for us, everything he does is with intent in terms of the speed he works at. That’s probably what cost him there, the speed of his movement off the line and he just doesn’t quite drop enough.
“He’s certainly far from a dirty player, it’s just one of those things, it could have gone either way. It could have been a yellow.”
The Ireland coach reported that captain Caelan Doris ran with the team at their final session in Cardiff yesterday, suggesting he is recovering well from the knee issue that kept him out of today’s game.
They will hope to have him back for the visit of France to Dublin in two weeks.
“He’s done really well,” said Easterby.
“He ran yesterday out on the pitch during the captain’s run. We’d be confident he’s trucking in the right direction and hopefully we see a bit of an improvement as the week goes on.”
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