Finally, Irish Win in a Romp

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Irish Voice Sport

Finally, Irish Win in a Romp

February 28, 2008

By Cathal Dervan

Ireland 34 Scotland 13

SATURDAYS don’t come much better than this for Eddie O’Sullivan as his 50th win in charge of Ireland was marked by a five try romp over the Scots, and was then followed by an England victory in Paris that throws the Six Nations title race wide open.

Recalled winger Tommy Bowe staked his claims to stay in the side with two second half tries as the home side were 100% value for their second win of the year.

Scotland had dominated the opening 20 minutes without scoring and by halftime were on the way to defeat after tries from David Wallace and Rob Kearney, his first in the Six Nations.

The second half was only minutes old when Ronan O’Gara chipped for Marcus Horan to score in the corner before Bowe took full advantage of Ireland’s midfield dominance with two late tries, the first after a world class flick from O’Gara.

O’Sullivan’s team are now second in the table to Wales, the only side left with a 100% record in the tournament, and the side managed by his Ireland predecessor Warren Gatland.

The Welsh come to Croke Park on Saturday, March 8 when they will put their own Triple Crown ambitions on the line following wins over England and Scotland, but O’Sullivan is promising them a warm reception when they make their Croke Park debut.

“Wales are on a roll with three wins from three games and you have got to give Warren credit for that because he has got them back on the right foot again,” admitted O’Sullivan.

“They are going forward and we saw in 2005 what that means to a Wales team when we went to Cardiff and lost the Triple Crown to them on the day that they sealed the Grand Slam.

“You can see that Welsh team back on the pitch again this season, they have the same pep in their step and the same confidence and fair play to Warren, he has produced that very quickly,

“But they have got to come to Dublin now and while they are on a roll we have a momentum building here as well, albeit with two wins from our three games so far.

“This is our backyard and we are not going to give up anything very easily in a couple of weeks time. It is all to play for now, for us and for Wales.”

O’Sullivan, assistant to Gatland before he replaced the Kiwi as coach in 2001, knows their fractured relationship will be the center of attention in the build-up to the first visit of a Welsh team to Croke Park.

“We have to look at the bigger picture but I know that I am going to be asked that question again between now and the game,” added O’Sullivan with a smile.

“Their visit here could be the match of the tournament. Because of the direction we’re going and because of our own growing confidence, we could have a cracking game on our hands. Both teams like to run and if it’s a dry day at Croke Park, it will be all bets are off and a great spectacle.”

More immediate to O’Sullivan in the wake of this five try win were the performances of man of the match Geordan Murphy, Rob Kearney and Bowe on a day Ireland discovered the benefits of clinical rugby.

“It was a tough week for Geordan when he was left out of the original match day 22 but he has finished the week on top,” declared the Ireland coach.

“It is sure to knock your confidence when you are left out like that but the injury to Girvan Dempsey gave him his chance and he gave us the sort of response you are always looking for from players with that performance.

“To his credit he was presented with an opportunity yesterday and he responded magnificently. He came in under pressure but he honored his selection with a great performance.”

As for that 50th career win in charge of Ireland, O’Sullivan was blissfully unaware of the statistic as he spoke in the immediate aftermath of the win.

“I’ll take your word for it, that’s nice and thank you very much for telling me but I hadn’t thought of it like that,” he laughed with the contentment of victory still written all across his face.

Irish captain Brian O’Driscoll also acknowledged the contribution of Bowe, Murphy and Kearney among others but warned there is work to be done before Wales.

“We are still on a learning curve and to sum up this performance I would today we showed some great parts but there is still plenty of room for improvement,” said O’Driscoll.

“We are pleased but we are not losing the run of ourselves would be the best way to describe it.”

Ireland: G. Murphy; T. Bowe, B. O’Driscoll (capt.), A. Trimble, R. Kearney; R. O’Gara, E. Reddan; M. Horan, B. Jackman, J. Hayes; D. O’Callaghan, M. O’Driscoll; D. Leamy, D. Wallace, J. Heaslip. Reps: R. Best for Jackman (44 mins.), P. O’Connell for M. O’Driscoll (54 mins.), S. Easterby for Heaslip (69 mins), S. Horgan for B. O’Driscoll (69 mins.), P. Stringer for Reddan (71 mins.), T. Buckley for Hayes (73 mins.), P. Wallace for O’Gara (76 mins.).

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