Irish brought back down to earth with a bump - Andy Goode
Maybe we all got a bit carried away on the opening weekend of the season with the sun beating down and a record 50 tries scored. London Irish scored four of those in their victory over Harlequins at Twickenham but have been brought back down to earth with a bump since then.
The Exiles have now lost three on the spin and are conceding five tries and 36 points per game on average as the harsh realities of a long, hard Premiership season start to kick in.
As a promoted team, your goal is to stay in the league and you have to focus on the real basics in order to achieve that. Defence is the ultimate basic and they really need to improve theirs dramatically moving forwards.
If you’re conceding five tries per game, it’s a simple fact that you’re not going to win very many.
Northampton’s attacking game was very fluid at the weekend and they were accurate but there were some very basic individual errors from Irish. Rob Horne is an experienced player but he’s not a giant and he smashed through quite a few players.
They scored a try right at the end to reduce the deficit to 15 points but it was a cakewalk for Saints from the opening 20 minutes and it did look like first-up defence was a major issue for them.
They’ve got players who can cause other teams real problems but when you get promoted you’ve got to tailor your game in order to stay in the Premiership and that means having the solid foundations of a good set piece and defence. Unfortunately, London Irish are struggling with that at the moment.
There was a lot of intensity against Quins to start the season, with Blair Cowan and the back row in particular covering every blade of grass and ending people, but that seems to have completely dropped off.
The intensity can drop off away from home and you can understand that at Exeter, which is the toughest of away games, but Sale couldn’t catch a cold against Newcastle and then put 36 points on Irish the following week.
That defeat at the AJ Bell Stadium is an eye-opening one for them because what away games are you targeting when you look around the Premiership if you can’t target Sale.
Sunday’s result will have been the most worrying though because they will have felt that they should have beaten Northampton in front of their own fans and they got completely turned over.
You can dust yourselves off after an away defeat but it hurts to lose at home and the belief takes a big hit when you get an absolute pasting, as they did at the weekend.
The Madejski Stadium has never been a real stronghold of a place that teams fear going to but I’ve lost there a few times with various teams, including Leicester. They need to defend their home patch like there’s no tomorrow.
The crumb of comfort for London Irish is that they have got one victory on the board already and are four points clear of Worcester but you are looking at both at the moment and wondering where the next win is coming from.
They now go to Newcastle, who are sitting pretty in fourth place in the table having won away at Bath, so it’s an uphill struggle.
The Falcons are fourth in the table, deservedly so, and they’ll go top if they win on Friday…who would have thought that at the start of the season?
They have won both of their away games and even in defeat against Saracens in Philadelphia last week they showed some hard-edged rugby that will stand them in good stead in the tight games when the weather turns.
They finished eighth last season and, with the quality they have now got, their aim is absolutely to finish in the top six in this campaign and they are building momentum, which is giving them more and more confidence and belief that they can achieve that.
They will even start asking themselves if they can be a top four team and the nature of the Premiership so far, with some results that nobody would have predicted in the opening four rounds, means they might not be too far away.
I always look for a standout moment of the weekend and Craig Willis’ grubber kick was it for me this weekend. It was not a conventional grubber kick at all. He has deliberately put a bit of outswing on it and that’s something Dave Walder will have been practising with him when looking at different ways to open teams up.
It was a touch of genius and if Danny Cipriani or Beauden Barrett had done it, the world would be going mad and saying how great it was.
Unreal skill with an out swinging grubber by @CraigWillis0 for @FalconsRugby to set up @DTHVDM's try. You'll do well to see better this year
— Andy Goode (@AndyGoode10) September 24, 2017
There is quality throughout their attacking setup and they seem to have a steely edge to them this season as well with Mark Wilson, Will Welch and others stepping up. And, they still have Toby Flood and Maxime Mermoz to come into the team as well.
They won’t be thinking about a relegation scrap any more and will only be looking up and that’s great for the club.
They might have had seven days between games but you take a couple of days to get back from the States and a couple of days to reacclimatize and then you have to prepare for Bath and travel down to the Rec, so they’ve done remarkably well to get the win.
A total of 20 clean breaks and 17 offloads away at the Rec tells you that they’re playing an attractive brand of rugby and really taking it to the opposition, home and away and regardless of who they’re facing.
Dave Walder is head coach now and I think he has been given more licence this year in the attacking game and I think the players are really enjoying the environment. When you’ve been in relegation battles there is a bit of doom and gloom around the place but they are in a different place completely now.
People are talking them up from the outside and saying that they can finish in the top six. That filters in to the players and they start to believe it…if they are serious contenders, they should have no problems in getting a comfortable victory over London Irish at home on Friday.
Comments on RugbyPass
There’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
3 Go to commentsIt’s the massive value he brings with regard team culture/values, preparation, etc. Can’t buy that. I’m hoping to see the young locks get their chance in the big games though.
10 Go to commentsAll good, Gregor, except that you neglected to mention Sam Darry amongst that talented pool of locks. In fact, given Hannah’s inexperience and the fact that Holland won’t be eligible until next year, Lord and Darry might be the frontrunners this year, to join Barrett, Tuipoluto, Va’ii and possibly Whitelock. In fact there might be room for all of them if Barrett played 6 (like Ollie Chessum).
10 Go to commentsHis value is stabilizing the ship 20 - 40 minutes out from the final whistle plus his valuable experience to the underlings coming through.
10 Go to commentsWhat is criminal is she acts like it's no problem her actions have have cause the Italian player to lose her playing career, lose salary, if she did this in day to day life she would be in jail, she is a complete thug!!!
3 Go to commentsCorrect me if i’m wrong but the sadas have to win all games running into the finals yeh nah?
1 Go to commentsDon’t like Diamond but the maul is a joke, the sight of a choke tackle creating a maul then players in offside positions flopping on it killing the ball but then getting the put in? Banal.
3 Go to commentsHopefully Tabai Matson returns to Crusaders as head coach next season.
1 Go to commentsstorm in a teacup really. Penalty only so play on as the try was scored. Now the real question is: why was Maitland allowed to pass the ball off the floor? That is illegal but refs never pick it up.
1 Go to commentsWhen Beauden Barrett signed his contract before the 2023 RWC to play in Japan in 2024, it was NOT part of a sabbatical agreed to with NZRU prior to his signing, as was Ardie Savea and Sam Cane. Barrett changed his mind after the fact and negotiated his return to NZ Rugby and he was given permission to be eligible for All Black selection straight away once he signed a new contract to return to the Blues in 2025. Therefore, why would anyone argue against Whitelock returning to the All Blacks straight away after his season is France is finished if he signs a new contract with NZRU which includes a Super Rugby contract in 2025? If Barrett can, Whitelock should be allowed too.
10 Go to comments