Bardon
Peter Fenwicke (45)
Irelands game plan relies on Sexton. He is the best tactical kicker the squad has but also the best passer, without him the whole team stops clicking.
It's odd seeing the 6N back to back champions get beaten so convincingly. It makes the 6N seem so redundant when it leads to this on the grand stage. Where do all the NH teams go from here?
That's the problem with Ireland and it was the problem with Australia until this year too. If your game plan relies on individuals for you to be dangerous then they can be targeted. If it's your systems that creates the danger for the opposition than that's much harder to stop.
Not saying good players don't make a difference but when they have excellent systems too then they shine even more brightly. Putting so much pressure on Maddigan to make something happen reminds me of the Wallaby days when people were crying out for players with X-Factor to be in the team to make something happen.
Give those players the right systems and mentality and then let them exploit the space it creates rather than trying to create the space themselves.
Ireland have plenty of tallented players on attack but out systems too often have them crabbing across the field and then hoping for Henshaw, Fitzgerald, Zebo etc. to make something happen from well behind the gainline. Then if they do break so often there isn't enough support to finish it off.
Both Kearneys offer little in attack. Everyone knows Rob is going to jog back up and kick it and Dave rarely picks a running line that would invite someone to put him through a hole. I don't think you can have both of them in the same Ireland team. You need a Zebo or Gilroy type who's going to have the gas or the evasiveness to make it worth putting them in behind the opposition defence.