Ireland forwards coach Paul O’Connell is out to get set-pieces spot on against South
South Africa were important opponents in shaping the career of Paul O’Connell.
Specifically, the year 2009 was vital. It pitched the legendary lock into action against the Springboks four times. He led the Lions in three Tests against South Africa, including the ageless, brutal second match that clinched the series for South Africa.
It was a gruelling tour for the captain, who commanded widespread respect from coaches and players, but whose leadership was subjected to lingering focus from parts of the media once the series was lost.
Four months after that tour came one of the signal triumphs of his playing career in Ireland colours.
It was a night of freezing fog in Croke Park on Saturday, November 28 that year. And it was second only to the England game in 2007 as rugby’s greatest 80 minutes in the home of the GAA.
Ireland win a line-out in their Pool B match against Tonga during their emphatic 59-16 win
Ireland won the game 15-10, thanks to five penalties from Johnny Sexton; he was winning his second cap for his country.
But the game became famous for the extent of O’Connell’s preparation. It emerged afterwards that he had asked Gert Smal, the South African who was Ireland’s forwards’ coach at the time, to teach him to count to ten in Afrikaans. This helped him to decode the opposition line-out calls, and so the best set-piece in the world, led by the mighty Victor Matfield and captain John Smit, came apart.
You wonder late on Saturday night in Nantes, with the crowd now fully dissipated and management urging the Irish players to conclude their media chat and get on the bus home, if O’Connell misses being a player in a week like this one.
His response begins with a deep laugh.
Ireland forwards coach Paul O’Connell is hoping to utilise set-pieces effectively for their upcoming crunch clash with South Africa – just as he did against the Boks in 2009 (pictured)
‘No, not any more, not any more,’ he says. ‘I enjoy what I do. This is a different group. They’re kind of different to us, they do things differently so I enjoy where I am.
‘I try not to think about playing too much.’
Coaching is a consolation that allows him to pursue the standards that led him to captaining the Lions. And so given his meticulousness and the expectations created by the Andy Farrell regime generally, the line-out creakiness of recent Tests must have been a frustration.
It could have descended into a much more serious state if it hadn’t come right against Tonga, because it is an aspect of the game with a two-fold significance next Saturday.
Firstly, Ireland’s attacking game makes fruitful use of the line-out, both from mauls and as a way of starting wider attacks. And secondly, South Africa go after the opposition throw with frenzied relish. If there is any weakness, they’ll exploit it and Irish ambitions will be in a vulnerable state.
To see Ireland repair theirs as an attacking weapon in Nantes was important.
‘It was something the lads identified,’ explains O’Connell, ‘that Tonga stay down in a lot of their defence, and they hit you quite hard at the start, so we just transferred it.
‘And we had Bundee in there as well adding a little bit of weight to the maul. It’s always great.
Ireland’s attacking game makes fruitful use of the line-out, as was seen against Tonga
‘It’s hard to score maul tries in international rugby. It’s a tricky thing to do. To be able to go to the corner and be able to grab one of those in a game is always excellent.
‘You’re building generally when you end up five meters from the line. It’s on the back of a penalty already. You’ve already created something, so to be able to go to the corner and score something is great.’
The presence of Aki was significant in the try scored by Caelan Doris on the night. It seems obvious to add such a powerful presence, but it’s also characteristic of the clever moves that have characterised Ireland’s attack.
‘Sometimes you don’t know exactly how it’s going to go, those little trick plays, but we drilled it well all week and it worked, so we’re happy enough with that,’ says James Ryan.
‘There was good variation as well. We had a couple of drives and peel, and obviously played off the top as well. It was good, so we’re happy enough with it.’
Legendary lock O’Connell (pictured coaching the Irish team in Nantes last week) is now preparing for his country’s titanic clash against the Springboks this Saturday
Ronan Kelleher was accomplished with his throwing, succeeding with 11 of 12, while Ireland’s overall return, with Rob Herring playing the second half, was 21 from 23.
‘We’ve just been working on a few little tweaks here and there,’ says Kelleher, who had an outstanding game in the loose as well. He must be in strong contention to start in the Stade de France, especially if there is any concern that Dan Sheehan is not ready to go from six weeks on the sideline to the incomparable challenge of taking on the Boks.
‘Not that we’ve been bad, but we’ve been really trying to focus on ourselves,’ he says. ‘Yeah, it was good to see that, all that work kind of pay off. The forwards did the job to make sure they were drilled each time. It made our job a lot easier as hookers.’
Then it’s suggested to Ryan that the entire challenge Ireland faces, in every facet of play, goes up this week. ‘We’re happy with that,’ he instantly replies.
South Africa are world champions, and an enormous obstacle.
But they are now peers for this Ireland generation. This is not a group that cowers before reputations, or that is stooped by history’s miserable burden.
They play and beat the best teams in the world, not because of luck or cosmic flukes, but because of talent, preparation and belief.
‘It was one of our better performances for a while,’ says Ryan. ‘I think it will give us confidence, but it’s a whole different level next week. We’ll get excited about it now as well.
‘The support tonight was just crazy, wasn’t it? Crazy stuff. The colour as well, walking around. I mean, the expectation and level of support next week is going to be unbelievable. So, we’ll get excited about that as well, but obviously we know it’s a huge step up.’
South Africa are world champions, and an enormous obstacle following their brilliant start
But the Boks are now peers for this Ireland generation in what is be a huge test for both in Paris
They are relishing the colour and noise inside the Stade de France. Unlike the past two weeks, when the only support for the opposition came from locals picking the underdogs, there will be a vast South African support.
Given the number of South African ex-pats living in the UK, expect two shades of green to flood the French capital.
‘Yeah it doesn’t get any better,’ smiles Ryan, quietly excellent on Saturday.
‘Well, maybe it does but it’s going to be hard to beat. The World Cup, in Paris, against the champions: it’s pretty cool alright.’
And you know and he knows how it could get better, but talk like that must wait. Saturday governs everything now.