British & Irish Lions
• British & Irish Lions tour Australia in 2013
Ireland Rugby
Some Silverware Would Be Nice?
The grand slam dream may be on its way to being shattered, but O’Sullivan is keen to bring some silverware home in the form of the Triple Crown.
Ireland won it last year in a thrilling game at Twickers, and the coming game at Croke Park is likely to be the deciding factor in the silverware this time round!
A victory on Saturday gives the men in green a fighting chance of winning the Six Nations, providing France slip up somewhere (Wales? – England?).
“The Six Nations is an intense competition and it will be a challenge to pick ourselves up from a defeat like that,” O’Sullivan admitted last night.
“But we must respect the fact there’s still a Triple Crown there for the taking if we can win our next two games against England and Scotland.
“We could possibly win the championship as well. Last year we lost one game in the Six Nations and we ended up finishing second on points.
“We don’t know what will happen. All we can do is plug away and try to win our last three games and see what happens then.
“The ideal way to win the championship is to win five games but who knows what will happen. Grand Slams are rare and our title destiny is still in our own hands to a certain degree.”
Ireland have some tough decisions ahead of them this week.
If Stringer is fit, does he play – or do you stick with Issac Boss?
Does he stick with Easterby, or favour the man making all the big hits at the end of the French game, Neil Best?
O’Driscoll should be fit, and if he is there will be no question of him being in the side. But that has it’s own saga, allowing Horgan to revert to the wing and shunning Geordan Murphy who made that blistering run at Croke against France.
There was no strength in depth against France, you can’t afford to go into a blood and guts game like that without O’Driscoll, make no mistake – with O’Driscoll they’d have won!
O’Driscoll is the world class centre. He’d be one of the first on the teamsheet the day we find another planet that plays rugby! He can create and finish things that even other players stand and stare in awe at – but that is just part of O’Driscoll’s game, his defence is supreme and it’s what Ireland miss most when he’s not around, that and his ability to bring out the very best in the players around him.
Both Shane Horgan and Gordon Darcy gave it their best shot as a midfield combination against France but the void without O’Driscoll at the heart was frightening. To have any chance against England they must dominate from the word go, taking the game up front before providing the backs with quick, decent ball.
It won’t be easy, but there’s still a Triple Crown and title to be played for and won.