IRELAND SWEPT TO victory in the second half in terms of attacking play, but this win had just as much to do with the set piece dominance Ireland enjoyed in the opening 40 minutes.
Jack McGrath was the crucial man in that regard, seeing off both Logovi’i Mulipola and James Johnston in a spectacular scrummaging display. The 24-year-old lost the hit on several occasions, but continually fought back to drive through his opposite number. Cian Healy will not have enjoyed watching his competition perform so strongly.
Credit must go to Devin Toner too, who ran a solid lineout, calling to himself in the lead-up to the crucial Peter O’Mahony try after 25 minutes. Seeing an Irish maul rumble such a distance before scoring was a welcome sight, and while we obviously want to see more of the attacking skill that featured so prominently late on, forwards coach John Plumtree will be content with what he has to work with.
Defensively, the first half was poor for Ireland though, with missed tackles and an untidiness in defence allowing Samoa to create line-breaks. Schmidt’s men did do well to scramble and prevent the visitors scoring and making a real game of it on the score board. Still, Les Kiss has work do to in this area, as the Wallabies and especially New Zealand will punish that sloppiness far more severely.
George Pisi’s sin binning just before half time was crucial, as Sean O’Brien scored in the 45th minute with the Northampton Saints centre still off the pitch. That left the score at 21-6 and the Samoan challenge wilted thereafter.
This was a disappointing display from Stephen Betham’s men, particularly given their dismay at not getting more games against Tier 1 nations. There will certainly be a sense of frustration in the manner they allowed the game to pass them by. Captain Kahn Fotuali’i rejected the notion that this week had been emotionally draining for the Samoans, but they lacked the sustained aggressive edge that has brought them success in the last year.
The crowd at the Aviva Stadium enjoyed Ireland’s flourish of three tries in the last 15 minutes, and Schmidt too will be pleased to see a clinical, ruthless edge in his side. One of Ireland’s problems last season was the inability to finish half-chances, but tonight’s evidence suggests that Schmidt’s side can solve that in the long-term. This was a step in the right direction for the Irish team, but the Kiwi coach will be the first to point out that there is much improvement needed for the challenges ahead.
Seeing Ireland score directly from turnovers, as on the last try of the night through Kearney was another positive element of the performance. It’s something the All Blacks have mastered, and if learning from the best is a good way of doing business, then Ireland are on the right track.
In terms of personnel, Paddy Jackson showed the composure which appears to becoming a permanent feature of his game, tackling and passing well, although there were a couple of loose kicks from hand. Off the tee, he is striking the ball more consistently and the two misses will cause little concern. Peter O’Mahony was another of the younger players to stand out, showing that his aggression can make him a real force at international level.
Gordon D’Arcy will be dejected with his individual display, although his first half errors were in put in a better light by several decisive contributions in the second, particularly for McFadden’s try. Alongside him, O’Driscoll showed flashed of the brilliance we know he is still capable of, but there is more to come from him next week and against the All Blacks, fitness permitting of course. Meanwhile, Rory Best was a defensive giant.
Overall, there is much for Ireland to be satisfied with but it is also certain that Schmidt will be demanding of his players with regard to improving for Australia in a week’s time. Any repeat of those first half defensive blunders will be costly, while Ireland need a more accurate attacking display across the 80 minutes.
