BATTERED, BRUISED AND already a big chunk of the way through a short turnaround between tough Tests, but the Ireland camp feels a much more positive place this week.
Or maybe it only feels that way because those of us asking questions are a little less inclined to be negative after seeing what the champions are capable of even when shorn of 11 serious squad options.
“Neutral is the best way of saying it,” explained Donnacha Ryan when asked to gauge the mood a little under 48 hours the draw at home to Wales.
“We look at it technically and see the good things we did: we breached their line seven times, fantastic.
“We can be (more) clinical in other areas to push and close it out. Because they’re a really good team and they were obviously going to have a purple patch.”
All in all? “Fantastic building blocks for us to take forward for the rest of the Championship… this weekend.”
The weekend brings those old friends France back into Irish cross-hairs. They too will be accentuating the positive aspects of a shaky opening day win over Italy. But for Ireland, Les Bleus bring a completely different kind of threat that will make for a vastly different game.
On Sunday, Ireland were the team showing greater invention in attack, even taking it upon themselves to carry the gauntlet from their own half in an effort to win the game after 80 minutes had elapsed. Next time out, they will be clasping to keep structures as tight as possible lest France’s rediscovered flair get a chance to breath.
“Give someone like that space and they will cause you trouble,” wing Dave Kearney says of the prospect of going up against week one sensation Virimi Vakatawa.
“He’ll be wanting to use his footwork to cause problems. You’ve just got to get into him and get up as quick as you can — hopefully we’ll know the threats of those guys around the edges - all their wide players can be devastating if given the opportunities.”
Ryan, who will hope to add a fresh face to the second row next time out, reports that Ireland’s analysis team counted 19 French offloads in just the first half of the win over Italy.
It’s an impressive number to put up in search of free-flowing rugby and in stark contrast to Ireland’s preference to go through the ruck. Yet it’s also a risk that Ireland can reap the rewards of, according to the Tipperary lock.
“Double-edged sword, really, if someone drops a ball then you can pick it up, hoof it down the field…
“For us at the weekend (Jack McGrath) made the tackle, Dev (Toner) picked up the loose ball. We had been under the pump for about 15 phases of defending and ended up moving the ball wide.
“But if they get in behind you, they load the line so well and have big runners, so a tackle low is going to have to be followed by a tackle high. If you tackle high they’re so powerful, with a big leg drive.
“That is a tremendous amount of offloads in test rugby. They’re not afraid to play and when they get in behind you, they can run amok.
Ryan calls it ‘refreshing’ to be focusing on such a different opponent in the analysis room, but it can’t be half as eye-opening as the freezing, snow-hit training session in Maynooth this morning.
However with five men either sitting out or limited in their training, and bodies still sore among those who were fit to run around freely, the blasts of cold air were quite welcome for a team trying to recover for another hugely physical contest.
“Training this morning was really cold and snowing. It was actually really good, because it was like a nice little outside air ice bath for us, which was great!
“A bit of rest tomorrow and we’ll crack into it again on Thursday.”
