Homer: That little Timmy is a real hero.
Lisa: What makes him a hero Dad?
Homer: Well he fell down a well. And can’t get out.
The Simpsons
Four years ago, in the bowels of Eden Park in Auckland, Brian O’Driscoll skipped down the tunnel and announced that, because of the hype created around his team, they’d needed to deliver and had just done exactly that. Shortly afterwards, he was joined by Ronan O’Gara, who was reduced to tears by that same victory over Australia as he described the side as “great”.
Ten days ago, under the roof of the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Ian Madigan was the latest Irishman reduced to tears by a win, while around him, players and fans whooped, hugged and hollered at the result achieved against France.
What both games had in common was that they were no more than pool ties, there to essentially decide the seedings before the real rugby began in the knock-out stages. What both teams had in common was a belief that they’d made an important statement when ultimately it was small-time excitement before some big-time failure.
To an extent, those two sides built up a fair amount of goodwill, with a Grand Slam in 2009 and RBS Six Nations Championship victories in each of the last two seasons. But those accomplishments should also set the standards by which the players must be held to. On the smaller scale of European rugby — and even in the November Tests of a year ago — they’ve shown themselves to be hugely capable, but ask any player of such talent what his aspirations are and it’s to perform on the biggest stage.
Advertisement
Getting to the last eight of a tournament where there are nine teams playing to a relatively high level isn’t an accomplishment, it’s a probability. Getting to the final four was the aim this year and not getting there wasn’t a blip, it was a failure.
Yet, on Monday morning even the most basic ramble through Ireland’s media proved to be disheartening. Repeatedly pockmarking pages were words such as “heroic”, “brave” and “pride” to the extent that if had you been out the previous day, you’d be forgiven for thinking Joe Schmidt’s side had done what was expected of them.
On one occasion, a 43-20 annihilation was chalked down as a narrow loss but it yet again set the tone for a nation all too accepting of coming up short. It all led to the question is there a more mollycoddled, pampered and bubble-wrapped team in our sporting spectrum? Simply put, no.
This isn’t about kicking a group when they are down, but it is about being allowed to comment on an obvious reality without being accused of some form of bitter negativity. After all, you can’t have an important autopsy if you convince yourself that the corpse is alive and well. And with the national rugby team, it’s what we do so often as a country.
Just contrast the reaction to the World Cup performance with that for similar performances in other sports by other Irish sportspeople. Should an Irish soccer team limited by an abject system of player production fail to get past a technically superior Bosnia-Herzegovina side next month, will they be brave? Are amateur GAA players who fall well below their potential when it matters most talked of as heroes? And at next year’s Olympics, if Irish track and field athletes in what are truly global sports don’t make semi-finals, will the nation exude a similar pride?
Advertisement
Before the off in Cardiff at the weekend, there were hurdles placed before Ireland, but they shouldn’t be seen as excuses, rather challenges for top teams overcome. The injuries to Paul O’Connell, Peter O’Mahony and Jonny Sexton were cruel but others like Wales were flattened by bigger crises. The loss of Seán O’Brien hurt but punching a player in the gut resulting in suspension for the biggest game isn’t some cruel twist of fate. Meanwhile the idea that the French encounter took its toll is scraping the barrel for hindsight shows that Ireland came through the easiest group of the tournament and yet treated it as an achievement. What Ireland had was a far greater chance than any other European quarter-finalists, yet others outdid and outshone us.
That’s eight World Cups now and still no semi-final. And while early editions can be treated as a mediocre team simply not being good enough, that can’t be the case here. Instead, just like 2011, this was a massive choke. The lack of intensity for the opening try, the lack of tackling for the second try, forwards covering pace players out wide, the kicking game — all these elements showed a mental collapse much greater than the physical issues borne of a lack of depth.
By the opening exchanges of the second half, Ireland’s quality had them just three points back but with momentum going their way and the real possibility of an unlikely comeback, they choked all over again. What exactly is brave and heroic about that? And why exactly does that deserve a reaction of any pride?
This wasn’t the “Fields of Athenry” ringing around Gdansk as a ramshackle group were 4-0 down to perhaps the best international team to ever play the game. This was far more embarrassing; this was our hugely talented rugby team collapsing yet again when the safety net had been removed and it was time for them to step up and perform to their potential.
Marketing still says that this is a rugby country, maybe it’s about time we stopped believing the hype.