I WAS IN the Millennium Stadium nice and early yesterday, so I popped into the Ireland dressing room to visit Rala.
I hadn’t seen him in a couple of years and there he was filling up the water bottles three hours before kick-off, the same jovial character he’s always been. He’s unbelievably important to Ireland and takes his job so seriously.
O'Connell is a huge loss but his absence could galvanise the group. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
Rala gives you a sense of how things are going within the squad and I came away from our little reunion with confidence that all was well with the lads before this game. What followed on the pitch certainly backed the impression up.
As always, he had a few little minions running around helping him. He’s always been a high quality delegator. Rala was actually saying that security wouldn’t let him into the stadium at 12 o’clock and it was making him anxious, wanting to get the jerseys laid out as early as possible, everything else sorted for when the lads to arrived in.
He’s been the longest servant of Irish rugby that I can remember and this is his last few weeks with Ireland. He’s brilliant at his job and as a character he is certainly going to be missed. I think he’ll miss it himself too.
An incredible day came at a massive price. Rala has only a few more games with Ireland, but Paul O’Connell looks like he will be joining him on the fringes of things after that horrible injury.
I was pitchside and I saw it happening, almost in slow motion. I texted Paulie last night just to say how disappointed I was for him. It looks quite serious. I know Paulie wouldn’t have wanted to finish playing for Ireland by being carried off on a stretcher, but it’s a mark of the man that it was the only way you’d get him off the field.
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It’s sad, it’s a shame, but I do think it can have a galvanising effect on the squad in a strange way. The World Cup is still alive and guys are going to do everything they can to do it for Paulie.
This win ranks as one of the greatest World Cup performances from any Irish team. On top of the performance, the atmosphere was as good as anything I’ve experienced. It was right up there as the loudest I have ever heard in my life.
Rala is so important behind the scenes. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
You only truly notice it as a player when there’s a break in play, when you have those few seconds to take a few thoughts for yourself. You’re so aware of the volume of the fans around you in those moments, I always loved that part of it when I was playing for Ireland.
The first half was played out in the middle third of the field, a bloody battle to get into the opposition 22. It was nearly like a tug of war, one team pulling towards one end and then the other team coming back at them.
Ireland picked their team to control the set-piece and they disrupted a lot of the French ball, at lineout in particular. There was no platform for the French to work off and their aim of using Louis Picamoles off the back of the mauls and hitting Mathieu Bastareaud up just didn’t come into play.
I have to admit I was a little concerned at half-time after the injuries to Johnny Sexton and Paulie. But Ian Madigan and Iain Henderson, then Chris Henry later, helped to drive what was the best 20 minutes of our World Cup so far after the break.
Ireland were so clinical when their opportunities came in that second half, after missing a few chances in the first. It was a simple game plan, the forwards worked incredibly hard and the backs were getting stuck in physically.
It didn’t matter what number was on your back, guys were always willing to to do a job. Madigan carrying the ball into big French forwards and winning collisions said it all.
The way the supposed second tier of Ireland players delivered yesterday spoke volumes for how they work under Joe Schmidt. Everyone knows the system to a tee, and it makes it so much easier to get things right mentally in the time of need.
Madigan and Henderson didn’t really have to worry about what they were doing on the pitch, more about doing it with utter precision and a good dose of aggression.
There were a bunch of new leaders yesterday. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
The injuries are a concern ahead of the Argentina game of course, but I’m confident. I spoke to Johnny briefly after the game yesterday and he said it wasn’t too bad. Only time will tell, but at least Madigan has shown he can step up.
The loss of Peter O’Mahony removes another important leader, and there are question marks over Sean O’Brien too.
But there are men like Rory Best, Jamie Heaslip and Conor Murray, who are already vital in that area. Younger guys like Robbie Henshaw and Henderson showed genuine leadership qualities against France too.
Knowing that Ireland can play at the intensity they did yesterday is greatly encouraging. France is gone now and Joe has to get his guys back to that same pitch again this week, getting the all-important mental side of it right.
Argentina was always the preferred route in the knock-out stages but they have played some good rugby and they’re a tough side. I just don’t think they have faced the aggression, ferocity and precision Ireland brought yesterday.
If Ireland can hit yesterday’s heights again, I’d be confident they can advance to the semi-finals.
Peter Stringer: Ireland will want to win this World Cup for Paulie
I WAS IN the Millennium Stadium nice and early yesterday, so I popped into the Ireland dressing room to visit Rala.
I hadn’t seen him in a couple of years and there he was filling up the water bottles three hours before kick-off, the same jovial character he’s always been. He’s unbelievably important to Ireland and takes his job so seriously.
Rala gives you a sense of how things are going within the squad and I came away from our little reunion with confidence that all was well with the lads before this game. What followed on the pitch certainly backed the impression up.
As always, he had a few little minions running around helping him. He’s always been a high quality delegator. Rala was actually saying that security wouldn’t let him into the stadium at 12 o’clock and it was making him anxious, wanting to get the jerseys laid out as early as possible, everything else sorted for when the lads to arrived in.
He’s been the longest servant of Irish rugby that I can remember and this is his last few weeks with Ireland. He’s brilliant at his job and as a character he is certainly going to be missed. I think he’ll miss it himself too.
An incredible day came at a massive price. Rala has only a few more games with Ireland, but Paul O’Connell looks like he will be joining him on the fringes of things after that horrible injury.
I was pitchside and I saw it happening, almost in slow motion. I texted Paulie last night just to say how disappointed I was for him. It looks quite serious. I know Paulie wouldn’t have wanted to finish playing for Ireland by being carried off on a stretcher, but it’s a mark of the man that it was the only way you’d get him off the field.
It’s sad, it’s a shame, but I do think it can have a galvanising effect on the squad in a strange way. The World Cup is still alive and guys are going to do everything they can to do it for Paulie.
This win ranks as one of the greatest World Cup performances from any Irish team. On top of the performance, the atmosphere was as good as anything I’ve experienced. It was right up there as the loudest I have ever heard in my life.
You only truly notice it as a player when there’s a break in play, when you have those few seconds to take a few thoughts for yourself. You’re so aware of the volume of the fans around you in those moments, I always loved that part of it when I was playing for Ireland.
The first half was played out in the middle third of the field, a bloody battle to get into the opposition 22. It was nearly like a tug of war, one team pulling towards one end and then the other team coming back at them.
Ireland picked their team to control the set-piece and they disrupted a lot of the French ball, at lineout in particular. There was no platform for the French to work off and their aim of using Louis Picamoles off the back of the mauls and hitting Mathieu Bastareaud up just didn’t come into play.
I have to admit I was a little concerned at half-time after the injuries to Johnny Sexton and Paulie. But Ian Madigan and Iain Henderson, then Chris Henry later, helped to drive what was the best 20 minutes of our World Cup so far after the break.
Ireland were so clinical when their opportunities came in that second half, after missing a few chances in the first. It was a simple game plan, the forwards worked incredibly hard and the backs were getting stuck in physically.
It didn’t matter what number was on your back, guys were always willing to to do a job. Madigan carrying the ball into big French forwards and winning collisions said it all.
The way the supposed second tier of Ireland players delivered yesterday spoke volumes for how they work under Joe Schmidt. Everyone knows the system to a tee, and it makes it so much easier to get things right mentally in the time of need.
Madigan and Henderson didn’t really have to worry about what they were doing on the pitch, more about doing it with utter precision and a good dose of aggression.
The injuries are a concern ahead of the Argentina game of course, but I’m confident. I spoke to Johnny briefly after the game yesterday and he said it wasn’t too bad. Only time will tell, but at least Madigan has shown he can step up.
The loss of Peter O’Mahony removes another important leader, and there are question marks over Sean O’Brien too.
But there are men like Rory Best, Jamie Heaslip and Conor Murray, who are already vital in that area. Younger guys like Robbie Henshaw and Henderson showed genuine leadership qualities against France too.
Knowing that Ireland can play at the intensity they did yesterday is greatly encouraging. France is gone now and Joe has to get his guys back to that same pitch again this week, getting the all-important mental side of it right.
Argentina was always the preferred route in the knock-out stages but they have played some good rugby and they’re a tough side. I just don’t think they have faced the aggression, ferocity and precision Ireland brought yesterday.
If Ireland can hit yesterday’s heights again, I’d be confident they can advance to the semi-finals.
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