Up and coming talent in Irish rugby

I'm just back from watching Ireland A lose 50-22 against the New Zealand Maori. The papers are all talking about a cruise for the Maori and their power and pace being just too much for Ireland. I've often heard it said that the Maori would beat most full international teams and are probably one of the top few teams in world rugby. Well, that may or may not be true, and I have my doubts, but from an Irish perspective the story of the night was a couple of excellent individual performances.



All those interested in Irish rugby are aware that the issue for the national team is ensuring that there's a stream of players coming through the system. There are lots of players that can become international class but only a few who will ever be world class: the difference between the two is raw talent. The Irish system has proved itself extremely effective in recent years at making the most of limited numbers and it's essential that with the playing base that we have that talent is recognised and brought through. These Churchill Cup competitions are not about winning, they are about providing an opportunity to identify talent.



With that in mind, what did last night's game prove? To my mind, it proved that in Darren Cave and Keith Earls, Ireland have two absolutely top class centres for the future. As an Ireland supporter of relatively long standing, I have seen many Irish centre combinations that were full of endeavour but lacked that spark that is needed to cause damage to a defence. Of course we have that at the moment in O'Driscoll and Darcy, but I think I saw enough last night to suggest that the future is bright in that most important of areas. Another spark was provided by Sean Cronin at hooker. His lineout throwing was off the mark on a couple of occasions but that can be fixed with work. With the natural ability that he would appear to possess he's another who looks like he could go all the way if he's properly managed.



For what it might be worth, what did I think of the Maori? The Maori team that is playing in the 2007 Churchill Cup is a team of great pace and attacking flair. They are fantastic at creating scores off turnover ball. From one to fifteen they can run and offload as well as anyone. But to my mind they are the Harlem Globetrotters of rugby. Great going forward, great in a loose game, but give them a well organised defence in a tight pressure game and I think that they'd find it hard to cope. In the Churchill Cup the Maori are playing against third tier international teams. The Senior Ireland team is currently being rested and the next best 25-30 are out in Argentina. The Ireland 'A' team in the Churchill Cup is made up of the next level down - players on the fringes of their clubs or provinces; up and coming young guys; and players returning from injury. Yet Ireland A caused them huge problems in the tight, scored 4 tries and had plenty of pressure on the Maori line. In their previous game the Maori had leaked 3 tries and more than 20 points against Canada. In my view, this raises doubts, and a win for the Engalnd Saxons would not appear out of the question for the final. But apologies if I appear churlish. The NZ Maori can only beat the teams that they are up against, which they have done with some style. Credit where it's due for that.

While the game represented a loss on the scoreboard for Ireland, the only real results that matter are those of the senior team. So long as we can keep developing the talent to work its way up the ladder, then it has been a success.

Realpolitik, Irish-style

So what can we take from the Irish election just past? Out of 166 seats, 130 went to either of the big two parties, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. Decimation for the Progressive Democrats, stagnation for Labour and the Greens, and a clear lack of interest in Sinn Fein. A resounding vote in favour of pragmatism and flexibility and a rejection of idealism on either the right or the left.

And in truth, this is a reflection of the state of the country in 2007. Ireland is the home of the pragmatist. Idealism and dogma are too close to be trusted in a country that has suffered so much over the past 100 years from an excess of the latter. What counts now is the ability to constantly judge which way the wind is blowing and change tack as needs be to ensure that we stay ahead of the weather. We have become a nation of individuals looking to react to events and our environment, unencumbered by deep-seated beliefs or hardened positions. (The point might be made of course that this was always the Irish way - in 1840, Soren Kierkegaard wondered whether he might have Irish blood in him, given his own lack of consistency and the Irish willingness to sacrifice principle in the interest of having their cake while also eating it, saying 'For the Irish have not the heart to baptise their children completely, they want to preserve just a little paganism and whereas a child is normally completely immersed, they keep his right arm out of the water so that in the after life he can grasp a sword and hold a girl in his arm').

What both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael offer to the Irish people is political acceptance that idealism is a tainted philosophy. Both are willing to drink from whichever well has the sweetest water at any time (which has the effect of giving us a self-proclaimed socialist Taoiseach who pursues apparently right-wing policies on healthcare and finance). Both occupy the centre ground, which stands for nothing in particular but everything in general. And most importantly, both offer the electorate the assurance that they understand that people are no longer interested in vision, but rather in maintaining a comfortable status quo for the majority.

This is democracy without a capital 'd'. This is knowing on which side our bread is buttered and being confident that with friends in high places there will be more of the same. This is realpolitik, Irish-style.