'Gallant losses' irk Irish
Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:34
Ireland headed home Sunday with a sense of under-achievement after stretching Southern Hemisphere rugby powers New Zealand and Australia, but only coming away with 'gallant' losses.
The Irish, playing an expansive game at the end of a demanding 13-Test season, almost pulled off their first victory over the Wallabies in Australia for 29 years before succumbing to an 18-12 defeat in Melbourne on Saturday.
The Australians, playing their first international under new coach Robbie Deans, had to defend desperately for much of the second half to preserve their lead.
The loss came a week after Ireland went down 11-21 to New Zealand in Wellington after being level at 11-11 with 20 minutes left.
"It's disappointment really, not frustration. I think it wouldn't have been too much of an exaggeration if we had two wins, one against New Zealand and another against Australia," interim Irish coach Michael Bradley said.
"You can have those gallant losses, but the bar has been raised and the wins have not come. To be honest, it's probably not acceptable any more, so the over-riding feeling is underachieving and disappointment".
Both sides on Saturday scored two tries each, but it was the kicking of flyhalf Matt Giteau with two penalties and a conversion that was just enough to get the Wallabies home.
Ireland have now gone nine matches without a win in Australia since their 9-3 win over the Wallabies in Sydney in 1979.
"We had a lot of possession, I can't say we didn't have our opportunities, because we did," skipper Brian O'Driscoll said.
"It was just that we lacked that clinical touch at times and we were made to pay for it".
O'Driscoll, whose second half try gave the Irish a chance, said the team decided to throw the ball about in their final international of the season.
"We said we didn't want to play with any shackles, we wanted to finish the season off playing rugby," he said.
"In Ireland and the Northern Hemisphere, to a certain degree, you don't get those conditions to play an open style of rugby and with a closed roof it was there for us to throw the ball around and show our skills and I thought we did that very well at times.
"(But) for the amount we created it was small returns, to be honest".
O'Driscoll said there positive signs coming out of Ireland's Test defeats against the All Blacks and Wallabies.
"Rob Kearney has been exceptional, every time he's been given the task of playing fullback for Ireland, he's shone, whether we won or lost," he said.
"There were parts to our game that were very pleasing. But there's plenty of room for improvement and you know you have a base to work off and obviously with Declan (Kidney) coming in (as coach) he will have some new ideas".
"The skill is there, it just has to be produced on a more constant basis.
"Ideally, we would like to play with the ball in hand a lot more, because we definitely feel we have the skill range".
Kidney will take over as head coach after Ireland's tour of Australia and New Zealand and has been given a contract that runs until the end of the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.
