The North & South collided this weekend with the opening games of rugby union's summer international series
Mike Pensitone writes from Australia where England met the hosts whilst over the Tasman Sea, Ireland took on New Zealand at fortress Eden Park
Wallabies v England 30 - 28
New Zealand v Ireland. 42-19
A tale of two cities. Perth and Auckland
A tale of two 10s. Cooper and Sexton
A tale of two halves.
The contrast couldn’t be more obvious.
The first half in Auckland exhilarating, fast paced, intense. Ireland starts on the front foot and score. Confidence is high in the Irish coaching box.
The All-Black team had been the subject of great public scrutiny. Barret at 6? Lack of mobility in the back row. Key players out with covid. Coaches isolated from players. The possibility of a loss at Eden Park, the All-Blacks spiritual home…. the Irish are rampant.
In Perth the game laboured from one set piece to another, from one aimless kick to another, a total lack of courage. Someone must run with the ball. Surely the crowd deserve better. Those on the settee bored already.
Those of us with a keen eye will have likened England’s facial expressions to those of the England cricketers a few months earlier. It really shows if you are not fully switched on!!
Both Australia and Ireland had problems at fly half.
Cooper pulled up with a calf strain in the warmup and had to be replaced. Sexton left the field injured…. again.
The improvement in Irelands recent performances has been clear for all to see and a World Cup win a real possibility. However, the talisman is Sexton; without him and the barometer of success descends rapidly.
The All-Blacks withstood the Irish momentum and turned it round…. How?
- They upped their work rate in defence.
- Got off the line quickly in defence.
- Got on the front foot mentally.
- Slowed the ball down at the breakdown.
- Turned the ball over.
- Drove the attacker back in contact.
What followed was a collection of blistering attacking skills. The Kiwis are great at not succumbing to pressure on their skills; they keep making the difficult pass, usually because there is always a support player close by.