London Irish
MadStad welcomes the Wizard from Oz
By thepedro
November 6 2013
Despite a narrow loss for the second week in the row, there was plenty of optimism around the MadStad as the fans filed out at the final whistle Sunday, having been entertained by both the old and new, for the second half at least…
I’d prefer not to write anything at all about the first half, though in the interests of full disclosure I suppose I should. The excitement generated all week through the announcement of James O’Connor’s debut, with green and gold t-shirts on offer at the club shop, quickly wore off after kick-off as two exciting looking teams on paper struggled to generate any sort of momentum in the first half. Saints were, as usual, keen to get the rolling maul going as a platform but credit must go to Glenn and the pack for largely neutralising this threat. However, poor kicking from hand and soft penalties at the breakdown saw Irish camped in their own half, and indeed their own 22, for the most of the first 40. Stephen Myler dutifully kicked two penalties when they were in range, with a reply by Humphreys in between them making the score 6-3 after the early exchanges. The Irish defence showed plenty of resilience when their backs were against the wall, broken only by a very neat set move off a line-out that resulted in a well taken try by Saint’s full-back James Wilson. When Irish did get the ball, handling errors and poor decisions stunted any real progress, although the new boy showed his class on several occasions with quick feet and clever off-loads, his good work finally paying off when he fed Losi for a try in the corner just before half time, the conversion from the touchline being missed to make the half-time score 16-11 Saints.
The second half could only get better, and fortunately it was by a distance. Irish picked up momentum and worked the ball through phases, steadily building pressure and playing more inside the Saint’s half. O’Connor showed his all-round skill set, taking high balls with authority and attacking with flair, with strong carrying contributions from the pack, notably David Paice and Blair Cowan. Despite losing ascendency in the scrum, adding to line-out woes that persisted all day, Irish continued to show endeavour just without a final product. A penalty from Humphreys was cancelled out by an effort from Myler, leaving the score at 19-14 with ten minutes to go. The heads stayed up and it was clear Saints were on the back foot in the dying minutes, but a 25-phase final push from the boys ended with yet another ruck penalty, and the relief on the Saints players’ faces clearly showed that this was more of a contest than you would have expected from 2nd playing 11th.
Discipline will need to be worked on in the coming weeks of the LV Cup, particularly at the breakdown, and the line-out will need to be shored up. Both the half backs will also be disappointed with their performances, with kicking from hand – particularly in the first half, giving away unnecessary possession and territory. However, this subjected the defence to a real test against a useful if depleted Northampton attack, and the line stood up well, what a contrast from this time last year! The signs from the backline, with Eamon Sheridan carrying hard in the midfield, Losi showing signs of returning to form and O’Connor looking dangerous – and potentially even more so when fully integrated – means there is plenty to look forward to. We might be sitting in 11th after this game, but there are many supporters looking up rather than down. Gaining a bonus point against one of the top teams in the country is not to be discounted, and there must be hope that given time the side can turn some of these tight losses into wins.
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