It’s actually a fairly busy weekend in Test Rugby terms, as there are a plethora of “friendlies” taking place in both Hemispheres. Sadly it will be quite a challenge for us to get easy access to any of them here in Canada, the only exception to that being the Canada/USA game in Vancouver on Saturday. However, as of Thursday night, there is very little information about the Canada game, such as team lineups, referees etc. If they do put something out tomorrow we may have time to have a look at it, but otherwise for all intents and purposes it’s a mystery game. You’ll be able to watch it on TSN where hopefully it becomes less of an enigma.
The big action is in Europe with England taking on Italy on Friday, and Scotland hosting Georgia. We don’t have access to these games via regular channels/streaming services here in Canada. With both games likely to be a foregone conclusion in terms of the winners, with no disrespect to Italy or Georgia, we’ll just be looking at the Ireland/Wales game.
Wales take a full strength team to Dublin, and one which will most likely start against Australia, Fiji and Georgia in the World Cup. By the same token Wales and Coach Warren Gatland will hope that the injury gods are kind to them on Saturday, as in the game last weekend it was clear that as good as Wales are, outside of their first choice match day 23 travelling to Dublin, depth is limited.
Ireland bring out a star studded cast for this one and the expectations on them will be high. While injuries will be a concern for the Coaching staff, Ireland really need to make a statement that they mean business at the World Cup, something that it’s been hard to believe in much this year. After their blowout against England a fortnight ago, they salvaged some pride against a second string Welsh side in Cardiff last Saturday, but it wasn’t exactly a performance that would have caused either of their potential quarter final opponents, New Zealand or South Africa, any sleepless nights. The problem is so far this year Ireland have looked average at best and downright awful for a lot of the time. With a potential pool decider against Scotland as their World Cup opener only 15 days away, Ireland need to find their groove fast and make it stick.
So here’s what got us talking in relation to the last big show in Dublin before all eyes turn to the land of the rising sun.
Ireland vs Wales – Saturday, September 7th – Dublin
Two all star squads go head to head in Dublin on Saturday, but it begs the question – how hard will they really go at it with the main event less than two weeks away, and neither side wanting to be burdened with injuries? You could argue that Ireland will want to lay down a marker against the second best team in the world if you believe World Rugby’s ranking system (and we’re in the non believer camp). We are not denying that Wales are an outstanding team at the moment and clear contenders for World Cup glory. However, we struggle to believe they have the kind of depth necessary to rival New Zealand’s dominance of said ranking system in the last few years. Furthermore, if Ireland had beaten Wales last weekend by fifteen points last Saturday, then they would have become number one in the world, which based on their form of 2019 would have been absurd. So like we say no disrespect to the teams themselves, but we don’t place much stock in the ranking system.
Whichever way you cut it this weekend though an interesting contest is still on offer. Ireland are likely to want to make some kind of statement against Wales, as the last time they met Alun Wyn Jones and his merry men this year in the Six Nations, they received a rather harsh schooling in the finer arts of the oval ball. The humiliation of that loss and the fact they failed to get any points on the board until the last play of the game, is probably still hurting, especially as the game was originally touted as the biggest game of the tournament. Wales clearly read the script that matched the billing but Ireland were on a completely different set of pace notes altogether.
Ireland got a much needed win last weekend but it still failed to impress, and make us really believe that this Irish side is the same one that took the world by storm in 2018. Perhaps we’ll see glimmers of that this weekend, but it still seems too little too late heading into the World Cup. Whether or not Coach Joe Schmidt has tried to lull the rest of the world into complacency regarding Ireland and the World Cup, and really does have an arsenal of tactics up his sleeve that he is waiting to unleash and catch everyone completely off guard remains to be seen. Nevertheless, Irish fans will want to see some kind of a convincing performance on Saturday, as well as the medics playing solitaire in the tunnels of the Aviva as opposed to running about the pitch. For Wales it will be business as usual, and there is no denying that an away win over an all star Irish squad would be just the tonic to get this Welsh squad in the right frame of mind for the big show in Japan and that niggly opener against Georgia.
It’s Rory Best’s last performance in Dublin in an Irish jersey and he’ll want to make it count
Niall Scannell certainly impressed last weekend in Cardiff, as Ireland’s set pieces and particularly the lineout looked much more solid, after the mess we saw at Twickenham. It was unfortunate that Ireland’s fortunes in the match last Saturday in Cardiff started to slide once he went to the bench and Rory Best came on. The Irish Captain’s form has deserted him lately and there was little question that Scannell looked the more effective in the number two jersey. All that said though there is no question that Best’s leadership and motivation for his charges is still an enormously important contribution. Say what you will but he was always going to get the starter jersey for this match, and we have a hunch that it may well prove to be one that helps him find the spark that has been so valuable to this Irish team over the last five years.
We wouldn’t want to be in Jean Kleyn’s shoes
There is no getting away from the fact that the omission of Devin Toner from Coach Joe Schmidt’s World Cup squad raised many an eyebrow including quite a few of ours. Toner may not be the flashiest player on the park, but there is no denying the value of his presence in this Irish team over the years. While we have mixed feelings on the residency rule that has allowed South African Jean Kleyn to qualify for Ireland just in time for the World Cup, he has clearly demonstrated a set of qualities that Schmidt feels he needs in Japan, particularly in terms of physicality against sides like New Zealand and South Africa. Something which Toner who has battled with injury in the last year has at times failed to deliver. Nevertheless, Toner’s omission from the squad has certainly been seen as a controversial call, and the pressure on Kleyn on Saturday to justify his selection in front of a dubious public will be immense.
Once again it’s another powerhouse back row contest
Last week’s was excellent and this weekend’s billing should provide more of the same fare. Another of Ireland’s South Africans CJ Stander will also be under the spotlight, as the utility flanker has failed to really standout this past season. Wales see the return of Superman in the shape of Justin Tipuric, while Ross Moriarty and the impressive Aaron Wainwright also look to rattle Ireland, with Josh Navidi waiting on the bench. Jack Conan was one of Ireland’s better players last week, and we all know what Josh van der Flier can do, even if we haven’t seen as much of it as we would have perhaps liked this year. However, just like last weekend this should be a contest that should have us glued to our TV screens.
In the half backs, Ireland start their big guns against the Welsh apprentices, with roles reversed once the benches come into play
A long awaited first outing in an Irish jersey since the Six Nations sees Jonathan Sexton take the helm at fly half, with his powerhouse partner Conor Murray taking the scrum half berth. Ireland’s dynamic duo face off against Welsh youngsters Rhys Patchell and Tomos Williams. Patchell completely revitalized Wales when he came off the bench last weekend, and if he can hold his own against one of the world’s best in Sexton, then Wales could ask for no better preparation for Japan. In terms of the Irish contingent, they need to have one of those games that sees Murray seize every opportunity that comes his way, and Sexton needs to find the precision and accuracy that seemed to desert him in the Six Nations. Once the benches come into play then it’s Welsh maestros Dan Biggar and Gareth Davies up against Irish novices Luke McGrath and Jack Carty. How these battles play out and how they may change the ebb and flow of the game, just as they did last weekend, will be fascinating to watch.
What Justin Tipuric is to Wales – Keith Earls is to Ireland
You may raise your eyebrows at the above statement, and rightly so when you consider one is a forward and the other a winger. In our opinion what makes these two players so valuable is their reliability. When the chips are down and you need a player to step up and do something remarkable, then Ireland’s Keith Earls tends to be a very safe bet. A player, like Tipuric for Wales, who knows exactly what his job is and just goes about it with maximum effort and efficiency. Earls has that knack of being in the right place at the right time, whether it’s for a try saving tackle, spotting a gap that everyone else has missed or on the end of one of Sexton’s audacious kicks. He’s one of our favorite Irish players and probably one of Ireland’s greatest unsung heroes. This may well be his last World Cup and as a result we expect him to be making plenty of headlines this fall in Japan.
Verdict
Two powerhouse teams go head to head in a match that should provide plenty of entertaining rugby. How hard the two sides will go at each other remains to be seen, but certainly in Ireland’s case they may be willing to up the ante, despite the injury risk. It’s Coach Joe Schmidt and Captain Rory Best’s last game at the Aviva in Dublin, and despite what’s at stake in Japan, you can’t help feeling that their teammates are likely to want to give them a fitting sendoff. We think Ireland will play with a little more edge than a strong Welsh team mindful of the bigger prize at stake at the end of the month. As a result we’re giving it to Ireland by four, in a tight contest that should reaffirm Wales as genuine World Cup contenders and Ireland as the team that finally shows us that all the hype last year was justified in terms of their own World Cup aspirations!
The Lineout 