Thirteen years after he endured an All Black hammering on debut, Rory Best has given his detractors the proverbial fingers
Saturday night in Dublin was supposed to demonstrate how Test rugby is no country for old men.
Rory Best was apparently over the hill. His legs allegedly no longer had it in them to efficiently get him around the park. And neither did he have any business leading Ireland out as their oldest ever skipper at the age of 36, not with a World Cup on the horizon in 10 months’ time.
Rubbish on all three counts.
Just over 60 minutes later, sporting ageism was emphatically given the two fingers. Best walked away having produced arguably his finest hour in the green jersey, playing an integral part in snookering the All Blacks with a richly deserved 16-6 lead that was only reduced by three points in his 15-minute absence.
Cue full-time bedlam. There was Best bouncing around like a mad young thing in a jubilant sideline embrace with fellow front rowers Cian Healy and Tadhg Furlong, the latter a prop who was 10 years younger than him.
Old man? Only if you read the birth cert of a player who debuted in miserable circumstances 13 years earlier against New Zealand, coming off the bench in a 7-45 drubbing at an old Lansdowne Road where the entire Havelock Terrace was closed due to overnight fire damage.
Saturday’s cloud was different. Best took the pitch 35 months older than the next oldest Irish player (Johnny Sexton). Thirty-eight months older than the oldest Kiwi in town (Kieran Read). And a whole heap of criticism weighing on his nuggety shoulders following his largely anonymous impact seven days earlier versus Argentina in just his fifth club and country appearance of an injury-hit season.
Time’s up was the accusation. Time for more, much more, was his compelling riposte. The first 10 minutes energetically illuminated the difference.
A week ago there was a horrifying look of resignation on his face watching Bautista Delguy slither in at the corner. Best was the closest to the Argentine scorer but he may as well have been a million miles away. This weekend, though, there was no missing-in-action aberration, Ireland’s taking of an early lead providing a snapshot of his effectiveness.
Not only did the skipper accurately hit Peter O’Mahony at a lineout on the 22 after Sexton guided a penalty down the line, Best bashed into five of the ensuing 11 rucks as a cleaner.
That included assisting Keith Earls to recycle at a breakdown on the far side of the pitch from where the initial set-piece took place, and he was visible again at the final collision back near where the play had initially started before the referee called a halt and Sexton dissected the posts off the tee.
So much action, so much fine detail to pick over and savour. Best will never win accolades for his ball carrying. Saturday witnessed just a four-metre gain, the joint lowest mark of the starting Irish eight, off a half-dozen runs.
One featured the turnover that resulted in Rob Kearney conceding the penalty that allowed Beauden Barrett tie up the scores at 3-3 on 16 minutes. There was also a misplaced pass that cost further attacking momentum later in the opening half. But what the veteran contributed in the tackle (10 successfully completed) and around the breakdown ( a constant white-cap presence) helped his team physically dominate their opposition.
Then there was the dependability of his throwing and his quality scrummaging, one in the eye for Kiwis who had placed an asterisk alongside Ireland’s breakthrough 2016 win in Chicago. Their engine room duo, Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock, had missed that defeat and they returned to turn the tables a fortnight later in Dublin.
Twenty-four months later, these twin terrors were made to look ordinary. Only when Sean Cronin replaced Best did the Irish lineout encounter a wobble, losing two throws on the bounce in contrast to the variation and accuracy of the starting hooker’s 10 throws.
Best had also been part of the scrum that won two first-half penalties with opposition-crumpling heaves before he looked imperious when smashing Retallick in a second-half collision shortly after he had played an astute distracting role in Jacob Stockdale’s crucial try.
Having found O’Mahony at a halfway lineout, he cannily took up the left wing position before the ball came back Stockdale’s way and his eagerness to run a decoy support line outside the youngster was enough to draw in Ben Smith and invite Stockdale to chip and win his chase to score.
That little cameo encapsulated the value of Best’s considerable 112-cap experience, but it was his calm, composed dealings with referee Barnes that highlighted precisely why he is – and will remain – Ireland captain. Not O’Mahony or Sexton who can become over-exuberant in their communications.
Best has a gentlemanly way with words that can’t be underestimated and his role in ensuring Barnes wasn’t a derogatory post-match talking point on Saturday night was important.
Last June, with O’Mahony as skipper, Ireland’s discipline struggled despite their series win in Australia. Four yellow cards were coughed up along with 35 penalties. To concede just five penalties and no cards against the try-less All Blacks was an excellent reflection on Best’s on-pitch leadership.
It was January 2016 when he first took a phone call at home in Gilford from Joe Schmidt asking him to succeed the retired Paul O’Connell as captain ahead of Jamie Heaslip. He jumped at the opportunity.
Thirty-four Ireland games later, Best has skippered his country in the 24 Tests he has started – Rhys Ruddock five times, O’Mahony four and Heaslip one have been the other match captains.
But he has had to fight his corner along the way despite his 67% win ratio (16 wins, the last 10 on the bounce). A year ago he flatly dismissed speculation he was under pressure to hold on for the November 2017 series, revealing Schmidt had told him the previous August he was captain for the entire season.
He then courted controversy last January when he attended the Belfast rape trial of Ulster colleagues Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding and despite leading Ireland to the Grand Slam two months later in London, speculation about his position continued.
His drop in form versus the Pumas only added fuel to the fire, but Saturday night’s masterclass should now surely go a long way towards dispelling doubts that he won’t be capable of competently leading Ireland at the World Cup next September a month after his 37th birthday.
Best is one of seven centrally contracted players whose deals expire in November 2019, so confirmation is expected this winter on what his future plans beyond the finals are.
In the meantime, only Niall Scannell (six occasions), Rob Herring (twice), Cronin and James Tracy (once each) have worn the No2 jersey since Best came to power. Barring injury, it’s difficult to see any of them dislodge him as first choice before he reaches the Far East.
Japan reportedly has the world’s oldest population. Best should fit in very well then, Saturday’s inspired effort giving every reason why the oldest of Ireland’s 50 team captains in a list stretching back to 1884 can bow out with a bang next autumn.
Comments on RugbyPass
I think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
7 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
7 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
61 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
7 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
61 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to comments