A LOT CAN to be made of ‘the bubble’ a modern professional player can find themselves within.
In many cases, the 21st century athlete can become disconnected with the feelings and emotions actually felt by the supporters surrounding their team. Often, it is to their detriment as the disconnect allows passion to seep through the crevice.
With Ireland, perhaps it’s just as well the bubble around Carton House is sealed. That way, the concern of a tetchy nation that Scotland may well have Ireland’s number this Sunday only comes through only as a feint whisper.
With over 10 senior internationals unavailable – including totemic figures and Lions candidates such as Jonathan Sexton, Stephen Ferris and Paul O’Connell – there may never be a better opportunity for the Scots to earn their third win over Ireland this century.
Yet Conor Murray, efficiently drilled in sports psychology as he is, and his coach Les Kiss were keen to give off ‘good vibes’ as the sun shone through the 19th century windows of Carton House yesterday.
“It was obviously a tough defeat to lose to England at home,” says the scrum-half, “but overall there’s a good vibe around camp. One loss isn’t going to turn you into a bad team.
“We’ve been playing quite well and we’re looking to forget about England an look towards Scotland and build towards playing them with a lot of confidence, as we should do.”
He added: “I think we’re over it. We know we’re a good team, we’re in a good place and we’ve plenty of recent experiences to back that up. So we’re just moving on with it.”
Moving on means a return to the always heated out-half debate. Kidney will provide his answer at lunchtime today, but all signs point to a new man at the helm after Ronan O’Gara’s worrying dip in form over recent weeks and months.
If Paddy Jackson is to line up opposite his namesake, Ruaridh, in Murrayfield this weekend; then the home side will surely be keen to test the debutant with their main strength. Scott Johnson has some powerful second and back row ball-carriers at his disposal and even the absence of O’Gara is not likely to ward him far off the route one tactic.
Only fools rush in
“Most game plans from any team will target the nine-ten channel, that’s a fact.” Said Kiss. “Since I’ve been here, when I was in charge of defence, my motto was ‘let ‘em go at him’, because it’s fool’s gold a lot of the time. It can actually set them up and throw them down a path that we want them to go to.”
Perhaps the Kiwi spoke so brazenly because he was already aware that the more robust (if baby-faced) tackling presence of Jackson would take then field. The question asked of him was certainly related to O’Gara, so Kiss added forthrightly:
“If ROG is starting there, let them go there. That’s fine – we invite them to come into where they think they can go.”
Let’s just hope the bubble doesn’t burst.
