Ryan Bailey reports from Kingspan Stadium
WHEN LINDSAY PEAT crashed over the line in the far corner of Ravenhill, she turned for the halfway line and slammed the ball into the ground, fists clenched and the adrenaline pumping. The crowd responded, the roar around this ground deafening. 17 minutes remaining; game on.
And then came the sucker punch. From the kick off, Ireland needed clean ball to mount another wave of attack on the Welsh line. Instead, it was knocked on and every semblance of momentum and energy was sucked out of Kingspan Stadium. A few phases later, the Welsh went over for their fourth try. Game over.
“It just summed up our tournament really,” Peat admitted afterwards. “I really did think the game was changing. I felt the buzz and the energy was really with us. We had momentum and then we knocked on and we’re on the back foot.”
One step forward, two steps back. One positive piece of play, followed by a mistake which undermined it all. There were examples of this throughout all five of Ireland’s games at this disastrous World Cup. A missed opportunity, a tournament full of regrets.
“We fought to the end but our fight hasn’t been good enough,” the prop continued.
“We’ve been unlucky at times, we’ve produced some really good pieces of rugby but we’ve just been inconsistent with it. It’s a valiant effort, I’m very proud of the players I’ve played with and the supporters have just been brilliant. The buzz has been brilliant, it lived up on that side to expectations and we’ve very disappointed we couldn’t match that. We just talked too much about our own high standards instead of relaxing and playing.”
Perhaps there was too much talking. The players talked about reaching semi-finals and finals. Lofty expectations, and we, the media, talked them up too much. We talked about an experienced squad and a golden generation together and in unison, but the reality was something completely different. There can be no faulting the commitment, attitude, bravery and passion of the players. They gave everything, expending every last sinew for the green jersey.
But underneath it all the relationship between players and management was disintegrating. What women’s director Anthony Eddy branded the best prepared women’s squad this island has produced, was in fact an extremely disgruntled crop who found themselves shouldering the responsibility for analysis, tactics and gameplan with minimal notice.
Peat, understandably, was reluctant to comment on the issues raised by her team-mate Ruth O’Reilly in a damning interview with The Irish Times on the morning of the final World Cup game. She insisted she hadn’t seen it or read it, nor had any of the players before the seventh place playoff defeat to Wales.
Instead, the 36-year-old, who started all five games, focused on the positives from a campaign which yielded few and took the opportunity to thank the thousands of supporters who rowed in behind this team.
“The crowd, they were immense they were like a 16th man and I really have to say thank you. From the first minute until the 82nd they were behind us all the way and we fed off that.
“The harder we seemed to try the unluckier we seemed to get. It wasn’t for a lack of effort, I’m very proud of the girls. We gave everything and we really wanted to do proud for this great nation of ours and I hope on an effort level we did but unfortunately our skills let us down.
“Our focus today [Saturday] was getting a win, ending on a high and getting automatic qualification for a World Cup and I stand here heartbroken that we couldn’t deliver that. We didn’t live up to performance and to not give those fans who have been out since day one a big thank you with a performance and result. We’re hurting and we just want to say thank you and sorry.”
Peat was visibly emotional as she spoke to the media shortly after the game, but could smile when asked whether this tournament matched the experience of playing in an All-Ireland football final. Both of those occasions have ended in bitter disappointment for the Dubliner, but she will be back to fight another day in green.
“I would love to,” Peat said, when asked if she would like to continue her international career on for next year’s Six Nations.
“I’ll only be a full two years playing rugby come September so to play in a World Cup it really lived up to expectation from that point of view.
“It was phenomenal and a huge honour on my behalf.”
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Ireland will win the 6nations and I believe the French game will be Paul O’Connell’s finest 80mins in an Irish jersey. We have a great team, great support and sheer intensity to complete the campaign.
Simple answer. Yes.
Ireland to win coz we have better players and they are playing on form. Ireland also have better management. I cannot see France winning this one.
Joe needs to bring back in O’Gara at Fly half……
Because I dont know the names of any other players and I really want to live under a bridge with all the other trolls. Sure why dont we go full hog and bring back john hayes, marcus horan, mal o kelly and loads of other retired players and just go out there and f#$/$#g hammer the french.
What about David Humphries
Claw, Keith Wood, Mick Galway, foley, quinlan, Wallace, Stringer, Rob Henderson….. All them too…. Good man!
Ya definitely Humphries, Johnny Bell, Gary Longwell, Andy Ward & Kevin Maggs too just to be safe.
I don’t understand why one of Irelands all time greats has no place in this team. Willie John McBride.
Tony Ward too.
Andy Ward
Think it could be a low scoring cagey game. Sextons kicking will be vital. Take points when we can.
Wont happen I fear.
The squad ultimately has and has always had an underdog loser mentality. In the last 10 years we have totally failed at 3 world cups, lost at least 3 championships and lost 3 easily winnable games against the All Blacks.
Before the start of this 6 nations England and France had both only won 2 more games than us but they have won 4 and 5 championships compared to our puny 1. Not enough players have been capable of following POC and BOD to victory I’m afraid.
I certainly hope Joe Schmidt rids us of this loser mentality.
You’re the one with the loser mentality. I’d hate to have a team talk from you.
Maybe you could rid us of your loser mentality and not post.
@peter, I’m a great admirer of your wit. You’ll make something of yourself one day.
Sad retort Peter.
Don’t get your knickers in a twist there, Brian. I was replying to Small retort’s post.
Loser!
An easily winnable game against the all blacks? Ya must be confusing them with another team, no such thing. Even riddled with the flu last year england had to play out of there skins to beat them
Ireland usually see their best chance the year we have England & France in Dublin.My worry is that this side have yet to win a tight game, we failed to beat NZ when we had them on the ropes and we failed to drive on and beat England when we were 10 – 3 up in the second half.
We have the team to do it but actually going out and doing it is a different matter.
Scratch the surface and I fear the same inconsistent, underachieving, low-confidence team from the last 4 years will be there.. They need a good start and calm leadership, or else the self-doubt will return and the French will grow in confidence. They were frenetic and insecure in the first half in London. A 10min try-blitz from some unforeseen French bolters and history will repeat itself.
Even if they finish level on points with England should the cup not go to the English ad they beat us in London.
They’d have an advantage as they’ve two games against too 4 at home
The six nations has it’s own unique scoring system, no bonus points. Directly from the six nations website (http://www.rbs6nations.com/en/championship/rules.php)
The RBS 6 Nations Championship Trophy is presented to the team who earn the most points during the season, with 2 points being awarded for a win, and 1 point for a drawn match.
If two or more teams finish the Championship with the same number points, the winner is decided on match-points difference (subtracting match-points ‘against’ from match-points ‘for’ in all Championship matches). If there is still no winner, then it is awarded to the team who scored the most tries during the Championship.
If after all this a winner still cannot be decided then the Championship is shared between the teams.
England will have played 2 at home. Ireland 3 at home.
True but England will have played 2 of the big 4 at home (Ireland and Wales) whereas Ireland will have played 2 of the big 4 away.
England and Ireland are the only form teams and England got that game at home.
Sean Farrell myself and your old man here in Bahrain think you couldn’t be further from the truth
Steve Walsh owes us a few generous decisions against France, he screwed us over in 2007 when we couldve won the slam!
Based on Irelands performance this season in the 6 nations we are the form side going into the Paris game. But take into account the all blacks game during the November series which in my opinion was the best 60 minutes of rugby iv seen Ireland play in my lifetime then you would have to say that this irish side are the top northern hempishre side. Yes we lost to England at Twickenham but let’s call a spade a spade we were unlucky that day. Ireland deserve to win the championship and if the french stumble bod and the boys will punish
Not really sure about being unlucky in Twickenham. I don t think we did enough to won that game , or put another way, I don t think we found away to win the game.thought sextons second hald kinda cost us dearly though I think we ll beat france if johnny plays to the level that we know he can
Without being arrogant or cocky we should be quietly confident about winning this game.
We need a huge performance but the championship is in our hands.
Once the players focus on the job at hand and not get distracted by all the other stuff then we should be fine.
It’s important that we try and take the game to France and control the tempo and pace.
If we can build phases like we did against Italy then I can see the crowd and the French players getting frustrated.
Upfront we can hopefully get an edge as our pack seems like a tighter unit than there’s.
Will be fascinating to see what game plan Schmidt takes into this one as he has had a different plan for every game so far. We were good enough to draw with France on the last 2 occasions and with the way that this squad has developed there is no reason why we can’t go one better.
The harsh lessons learned against NZ and England should help this team to get over the line on this occasion.
Can’t wait :)