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O’Driscoll ignites Irish

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

Injured for the recent defeat in Paris, O’Driscoll may still have been apprehensive about his damaged hamstring, but even on one and a half legs, he was too hot for Wales to handle.
On a freezing day at Lansdowne Road, O’Driscoll’s sheer class — Wales coach Steve Hansen called him “the best in the world in his position” — and the aggressive, uncompromising approach of the Irish forwards, were the catalysts for this easy victory. At one stage, it was 36-3 with the home side running in six tries to none, and it was only in the closing minutes that the Welsh managed to put a gloss on the scoreboard.
Wales probably believed in their own hype following an opening win over Scotland, who would struggle to give the woeful USA Eagles a decent game at the moment, and all the bluster about how they would run the Irish ragged proved to be just that as their forwards capitulated.
No amount of pace and talent in the backline will win a high-pressure Six Nations contest while a team’s forwards are being clipped around the ear. From the moment, hooker Shane Byrne charged through a non-existent Welsh defense for the first try in the first minute, the red-jerseyed visitors were hoping a coal mine would open up and swallow them.
Beaten in the line-outs, scrums, rucks and mauls as Paul O’Connell, Simon Easterby and Anthony Foley ruled the roost, Wales were soon in even worse trouble as O’Driscoll, with an irresistible combination of footwork and power, cut through for the second try. Ronan O’Gara added another when he charged down an attempted clearance and then Byrne once scattered the opposition forwards as he waltzed over for his second and the team’s fourth. It was 24-3 at the changeover, and even though Ireland had the benefit of a gusting breeze, it never looked like there was any way back for Wales.
“We had problems,” admitted Hansen, who is no doubt glad he’s returning to his native New Zealand at the end of the season. “It’s fundamental that you have to win the game up front. Our young lads tried to poke their noses in and got a good slap in the face. O’Driscoll was outstanding, and we could have done with him pulling his hamstring another week.
“We said from the start that we were still going to have the occasional bad day and this was one of those days. It was a dose of reality.”
With such a big lead, it might have been tempting for Ireland to coast through the second half, but the impressive Foley put the game beyond any doubt with a fifth try following another incisive run by O’Driscoll. The returned captain was looking a bit weary by now. However, he still had enough energy to take a pass from Keith Gleeson and stave off a couple of attempted tackles to score his 23rd international try.
“I wouldn’t say it was easy,” offered O’Driscoll, who was replaced by David Humphreys near the end. “I just thought we built ourselves a great platform and overall the team performance was really satisfying, and now we can go to Twickenham with some confidence.”
That next game against world champions England in London on Saturday week is bound to be a much more demanding test and Ireland will have to do without second row Donncha O’Callaghan, who has a knee injury, although Malcolm O’Kelly is a quality replacement.
“Twickenham is going to be a big battle,” said Ireland’s coach, Eddie O’Sullivan, “but they got some lucky breaks against Scotland. We know you have to make them work for the whole 80 minutes. They’re the world champions, but like anyone if they’re not on their game you can get at them.”
England registered their second win of the championship with a 35-13 verdict over hapless Scotland, while France were made to battle to overcome Italy by 25-0.

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