1
Pour Russell, l'Irlande est « la meilleure équipe du monde »
Le demi d’ouverture de l’Ecosse Finn Russell a reconnu la suprématie de l’Irlande après la victoire de cette dernière dans le Tournoi des Six Nations Guinness 2024 en s’imposant 17-13 contre l’Écosse. Selon lui, l’Irlande est tout simplement la « meilleure équipe du monde ».
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Malgré une bataille acharnée à l’Aviva Stadium, pour la dernière journée de Tournoi, ce sont les Irlandais qui l’ont emporté, glanant un deuxième titre consécutif lors du ‘Super Saturday’, pour le plus grand plaisir du public dublinois. Les célébrations ont été d’autant plus douces qu’elles ont coïncidé avec le week-end de la Saint-Patrick, qui a donné lieu à de vives réjouissances dans toute la ville.
Même si leur performance collective n’a pas été des plus brillantes, les hommes d’Andy Farrell ont fait preuve d’une grande détermination, à l’image de l’essai décisif marqué par Andrew Porter en deuxième mi-temps.
Russell, qui s’est mesuré aux meilleures équipes du monde – y compris l’Afrique du Sud – au cours des derniers mois, n’a pas hésité à qualifier l’Irlande d’équipe numéro un au monde, même si les Boks ont remporté la Coupe du monde de rugby et que les All Blacks ont battu l’Irlande en quart de finale de ce même tournoi.
« Je trouve cette équipe impressionnante. C’est la meilleure du monde selon moi.
« La majorité d’entre eux jouent au Leinster, ce qui fait qu’ils ont beaucoup d’automatismes entre eux. C’est donc difficile de les prendre à défaut et de trouver des faiblesses dans cette équipe.
« On a réussi à faire une grosse performance à l’Aviva, alors qu’eux avaient beaucoup de pression. On a sans doute eu la possibilité de… peut-être gagner ce match si nous n’avions pas laissé passer quelques essais. On aurait peut-être pu gagner, je n’en suis pas sûr.
« A mon avis, c’est la meilleure équipe du monde et c’est probablement le stade d’où il est le plus compliqué de repartir avec une victoire. »
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Selon Russell, l’Écosse a besoin d’une nouvelle approche mentale. Malgré l’état d’esprit de l’équipe, il a déploré le jeu irrégulier de l’Écosse, qui n’a gagné que deux de ses cinq matchs, concédant trois défaites aussi courtes que décevantes.
Six Nations
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Ireland
5
4
1
0
20
2
France
5
3
1
1
15
3
England
5
3
2
0
14
4
Scotland
5
2
3
0
12
5
Italy
5
2
2
1
11
6
Wales
5
0
5
0
4
« Aujourd’hui, nous progressons », a déclaré Russell. « La mentalité que nous avons eue aujourd’hui et la cohésion, en particulier en défense, ont été excellentes.
« Mais on doit parvenir à maintenir un plus haut niveau mental tout au long de la compétition. On doit s’améliorer et réaliser des performances complètes semaine après semaine.
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« Par moment, on a été brillants dans ce Tournoi. Mais en même temps, on a connu des creux, ce qui a permis à nos adversaires de prendre les devants et engranger de la confiance.
« On progresse, et c’est difficile de ne gagner que deux matchs en se disant qu’on est sur la bonne voie. Mais cette campagne nous rendra meilleurs cet été, puis en novembre et lors du Six-Nations de la saison prochaine.
« Il faut répondre présent à chaque instant du match et c’est un gros travail pour nous. Aujourd’hui, on répond présent pendant probablement 90 % du match. Mais ces quelques moments ont permis à l’Irlande de reprendre le contrôle du match. C’est probablement la meilleure équipe du monde, mais on ne peut pas leur faciliter la tâche ainsi. »
Comments on RugbyPass
its such a shame he hasn’t achieved more success at club level. He’s really not been a potent finisher for a while now, but he’s still excellent in the kick chase. That’s the kind of skillset that generally only gets appreciated when you’re playing in premiership and european finals. I’m not sure whether the challenge cup counts given the quality of the competition seems lower than in previous years, but his duel with Mapimpi should be enthralling.
1 Go to commentsThe point is the irish players were arrogant,call it like you want sugar coat it aswell but they were you could see it in their way they handeled themselfs on the field when they got something right so dont tell me it was not arrogance it was,you can fool other people but not me,and to say to one of our players see you in the final put a nail in the coffin for this bullsh@t,just be grown men and accept it that you were arrogant,you could if seen it from a mile away, and then you lost to the allblacks what a cocky move that didnt work out for you ,Eben was right when he said u were arrogant,the point is you will deny it because you lost it all just grow some balls and move on we had won you lost accept it.
10 Go to comments“summer tour of North and South America” so its a summer tour of america?
1 Go to commentsEverybody is giving the Irish players the benefit of the doubt in ‘what they meant’, but none of these pundits or commentators offer the same courtesy to Eben. I don’t think Eben went, 1, 2, 3… etc. What might have happened is he didn’t count and when the 3rd or 5th guy said he went, hang on why are so many of them saying this… and then started to concentrate on it more and more as players continue to say it. So no, he didn’t count it, he realised many Irish players said it and made an assumption based on that… The Irish team was VERY confident at the time and I do believe they believed they were going to win the World Cup, which borders a bit on the arrogant side…
10 Go to commentsI can see how some of the Irish players would have said”see you in the final” as a gentle comment after a victory. It’s open to interpretation but it’s clumsy language. I don’t know the fella but I assure you Eben doesn’t have an axe to grind with Ireland. He has never been the media seeking pro. Oh and BTW it is I’ll be our winter in July so won’t be wet.
10 Go to comments*McCloskey*: _I saw this clip. Like, I wasn’t playing that game; I was in the stands…so you don't know sh!t in other words, infact you know just as much as Goode on this matter. I will believe the guy who was on the pitch when things were said as appose to two people speculating over what was said._
10 Go to comments@ turlough dream on buddy. Your boys are in for one tough time down in sa this summer…
10 Go to commentsI think Goode is looking to establish a platform for himself. Eben said “Probably” so that suggests he wasn’t counting. It’s an estimate Goode. I think even with your short and uneventful experience with the Sharks you probably realise winding up Saffas will get you some airtime. It’s a none event. Move on
10 Go to commentsRugby has never been as structured and synthetically pleasing as it is at this moment. The game is simply beautiful and messing with it too much will ruin it for everyone. I can't help but feel that over the past decade or so many rules have been changed to accommodate a certain hemisphere and counter another. Perhaps I am wrong but I somehow don’t think so.
2 Go to commentsNoted some excellent defensive steals from the Rebs last week against the Reds, largely J Canham, I think. It’s not a Rolls Royce but they are a real threat with their defensive line out at the beginning matches. What do you make of Canham Nick, WBs squad material?
83 Go to commentsCoin flip between Ardie and Scott Barrett. Both have their pros and cons, and both would probably be decent. Ardie has way more passion on the field, but that hasn’t always translated into the best decisions. They will both turn 34 at the next World Cup, so both will most likely have their best days a few years behind them. It’s hard to imagine now, but looking at young players coming through Ardie will probably be under the most pressure to retain his place in the team. Beauden Barrett also an outside chance if Razor sees him as the first choice 10.
7 Go to commentsQuality stuff from Flats. Rugby can’t replace football nor should we want it to. I think the ‘product’ (awful term sorry) now is absolutely fantastic. Growing the game shouldn’t be at the expense of losing its brutal beauty.
2 Go to commentsI think they’ll choose Scott Barret as captain, Ardie 7, Hoskins 8, Finau at 6.
7 Go to commentsSo what were saying is if you make it through to the play offs in Europe you’re likely to suffer at the tail end of the prem. No extra cash for playing in Europe, more chance of injury, fatiguing the team…while others not through rest up. whats the point??
1 Go to commentsClaims that Finau is a risky proposition are hyperbole. His tackles have been mostly perfectly timed and executed except for the Lynach one and that was a split-second out, certainly not 2 seconds. Social media criticism shows opposition fans are nervous about Finau’s impact. I see Jacobson and Blackadder as no.7s, they don’t have the power, size or dynamism to be 6 or 8 at Test level. Akira has shown he lacks the intuition and technique to play Tests. If he learnt to bend his back more and hit breakdowns and tackles low and hard, it would do wonders for his game. Finau is the standout option for 6 with Grace or Shields as his backup. I’d like to see Finau, Sotutu and Jacobson as an experimental back-row combo; lineout nous, dynamic ball carrying, hard defence, etc.
41 Go to commentsI find these articles so very interesting, giving a much more in depth series of insights than one can ever gain from “desktop” research. It is very significant that it is this English man that Joe Schmidt has turned to build the basement stability and reliability from the WB forwards that was so shredded during the Jones debacle. With his long period in Ireland, with both Leinster and Ireland, Schmidt will know Geoff Parling’s qualities as a player well, and he will have gone over, with a fine tooth comb, the mans time in Australia. This, one feels, will prove to be a shrewd decision. I’m particularly interested in Parling’s comments about the lineout, especially the differences in approach between the hemispheres. He talks about the impact of weather conditions on the type of lineout tactics employed. He is the right man to have preparing for a wet and windy game at Eden Park, the “Cake Tin”, or in Christchuch, or for that matter in Capetown. I must confess to being surprised by this comment though re Will Skelton: “ Is he a lineout jumper? No. But the lineout starts on the ground – contact work, lifting, utilising that massive body at the maul.” Geoff is spot on about the work Will does on the ground. But I would contest the view that he is not a lineout jumper. I think I have commented before on this one, so won’t go further than referring to the end of the last Cup Final in Dublin, LAR using Will on maybe 3 occasions at No 2 in the lineout. And I have seen him used by LAR in Top 14, and never seen him beaten to the catch…but in reality that would only be a total of 10 times max.
83 Go to commentsDaltons a great guy and can lead at any level with that humility
7 Go to commentsWell if Parling is an Australian citizen then I suppose that’s OK. It’s more than can be said for The Hobbit in Absentia. I’m guessing Jordan Useless won’t be getting a call up to the Wallabies then because the Melbourne Rebels lineout coached by Parling has been a complete disaster. Parling had better prove himself or it’s out. He’ll be flattered by having one of the best lineout operators in world rugby in Rodda hopefully. If Parling can teach the Wallabies one thing it would be to also teach Australian players to make a serious effort on charge downs. Only Frost and Rodda make an effort. The rest are half hearted and lazy, bar Harry Wilson’s effort last week. There are lots of big missed opportunities.
83 Go to commentsGreat read thanks and glad he’s committed to Aus rugby! The comment from the no 8 saying he’s never done lineouts before doesn’t surprise me. There often isn’t the same upbringing with rugby here as there is in nz and parts of Europe. Seems like he’s doing a great job at the Rebels
83 Go to commentsScott Barrett. End of story.
2 Go to comments