Winners also lose – but they never give up. Ireland can – and will – continue their ascendance towards relentless improvements but, nevertheless, they may lose more games than they win this Six Nations and may even drop down the table in doing so.
Before a ball is kicked in Rome, it’s important to wonder how a team can be improving but struggle on the championship board. The answer is the opposition.
Before us stand the Italians. Everyone will no doubt focus on the wonderful Sergio Parisse; still a child at just 31, with 108 international caps he will overhaul our own legends. He'll have 120 by year's end, with a career total of 150 very possible. Going forward, he is simply awesome.
Going backwards is another matter and there's no doubt the Irish nerds within camp will devise methods of testing his determination in retreat. For me, the men to really examine are fullback Andrea Masi, outhalf Kelly Haimona and tighthead Martin Castrogiovanni.
Many may have labelled Toulon’s demolition of Ulster a foregone conclusion but Castrogiovanni’s game has evolved since his Leicester days. So, too, his vocals bemoaning his previous head coach, while simultaneously betraying his long ambition for a more rounded, expansive game plan. He was always a super player but something has happened to him in Toulon.
At the very first Toulon scrum put-in on two minutes against Ulster, Castrogiovanni popped up under pressure from Ulster’s loosehead Andy Warwick (5’10”). Warwick’s mean squat height was much lower than Castrogiovanni’s, who had Juan Smith pummelling behind him.
Warwick dipped his shoulders and hips in unison and allowed his rear end to pivot outwards as his head got to exactly where Castrogiovanni didn’t want it – his chest – and up he popped. It was a super effort from Warwick. Italy’s scrum put-in will most likely not include a hooker’s strike, with an eight-man shove a much more probable ploy.
But then as the clock ticked through the phases from that scrum, so too did Castrogiovanni. The ball spun left and five phases later Toulon winger Drew Mitchell, while gathering a chip kick deep in Ulster’s half, turned and popped to Castrogiovanni, who was now miles from where the scrum had been. It took two Ulster men to pull him down and Toulon flowed immediately into open field off a perfect Castrogiovanni ball placement. Nicolás Sánchez scored moments later, with Castrogiovanni on his shoulder.
He is playing much looser than previously and is nowhere near as violent in the breakdown and clear outs as before, electing for a more thought-provoking ‘can opener’ or blocking line, which results in a far more omnipresent, loose-running performance. For Mathieu Bastareaud’s 36th-minute try, Castrogiovanni was right there to congratulate him first.
Castrogiovanni went on to score his own try, Toulon’s bonus-pointer on 49 minutes, from a pre-called lineout penalty peel around the front. He started at the tail and took from Smith and barged over Ulster’s number eight Roger Wilson. Watch out Ireland’s defensive tram tracks.
From their 59th minute kick-off, Ulster managed to hold the ball for 15 seconds before Jared Payne bizarrely drilled it along the ground. Along came a thing of Castrogiovanni beauty for Mamuka Gorgodze’s 59th-minute try. Leigh Halfpenny collected Payne’s kick setting up a breakdown inside Toulon’s half, seven metres from touch.
Unbelievably Castrogiovanni was at outhalf when his scrumhalf fired out. Monster secondrow Romain Taofifénua ran a hard line but Castrogiovanni ignored him, favouring a circle pass to his fellow prop Florian Fresia, who took out two Ulster players before returning to Castrogiovanni, who (being honey potted by three Ulster defenders) popped back to Eric Escande and once again Ulster – sucked in by the props’ interplay – were shredded out wide for Gorgodze’s try.
Pointing orders
Of course, that is Castrogiovanni in Toulon colours, but what about Italian colours? Jacques Brunel is clearly the coach, but will Castrogiovanni’s new lease of life affect Italy’s tactics? Against Ulster and likewise Argentina last November, Castrogiovanni was raising his arm and pointing orders, à la Julius Caesar.
For Italy he's constantly taking the ball as first receiver. It happened twice before their fifth penalty. Where is his outhalf? Because he and his frontrow tend not to over-commit, there's less space in midfield and fatties in space are always easy targets for Simon Zebo et al.
Vastly experienced fullback Andrea Masi will run back loose kicking – Italy do have a counter-attack. He did that off Argentina’s first two deep kicks. Italy’s opening-match energy will have an aggressive defence making hits behind the gainline – hence the selection of Ian Keatley to reduce naive phase play in our half where a strong accurate kicking game will be crucial.
Air time
The flip side is also true and that’s where New Zealand outhalf import Haimona is bound to struggle, where the pace and workrate of Ireland under Joe Schmidt may be too much. His kick-offs are long and high with lots of air time, but he also has a beautiful sand wedge to the 10-metre line. He does have a 50-metre penalty kick in him, so Irish penalties will be punished.
However, he drifts in and out of the first receiver position, allowing less capable ‘outhalves’ to take control. He has the tendency to take into contact, often as an individual as opposed to within a structured attack and so becomes isolated. Ireland don’t know his style but neither do his team.
Patient play with green-grass field position in mind, allied to Italy’s non-engagement in the breakdown, will provide opportunities and turnovers – and then it’s up to Ireland’s outhalf to spot where their fatties are and attack. liamtoland@yahoo.com
