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It certainly won't go down in the annals of rugby as a classic. I've thought about this since Sunday afternoon and decided that I can't really decide between one of two view points: 1) In a game which neither side played particularly well, a plucky USA squad hung with a much more talented Irish squad - or 2) The USA missed a golden opportunity to take it to an Irish side, though much more talented, clearly out of sync.. I suppose a mixture of both is the best way to summarize the match. The Irish dominated the set pieces - their maul was unstoppable (responsible for 1 conventional and 1 penalty try) - All of us in Section 111, Row 2 at the Buck Shaw felt that the Irish let off the throttle a bit after their first try. For instance, the Irish opted for a lineout from which they did not maul from 5 meters out instead of either mauling in again or a 5 meter scrum which would have almost surely resulted in another try. Of the Irish forwards offensively, Rory Best and Mick O'Driscoll played particularly well. I suspect that Ireland wanted to work on attacking backline play, and with good reason. Fly Half Ian Keatley looked pretty tentative; to be fair none of the Irish backs passed or handled the ball well. (C'mon Darren Cave!) For the most part, they played well defensively, but weren't really pressed by the Americans until the final 20 minutes - The Irish gave away far too many penalties overall, and had USA Fly Half Mike Hercus been able to convert 3 very makeable penalty kicks (I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on the 4th) the game could have taken a much different tone. The US set pieces were very poor. At no point did we have a good scrum, and the lineouts were, to be blunt, awful. Losing 6 of 9 of their own lineouts pretty much tells you everything you need to know. However, almost in spite of their poor set piece play, the US forwards did some fine work at the point of contact, both offensively and defensively. They never counter-rucked with any viciousness, but offensively they put their pods together well and gradually got better in the ruck as the game progressed. Eddie O'Sullivan's influence is probably most evident in this respect. Defensively, to a man, the US tackling was outstanding. This was definitely a grind'em out Northern Hemisphere rugby match: USA 10 Ireland 27.
Both sides probably walked away disappointed, but both sides have some reason to take heart. The Irish pack, even without their Lions, is simply fantastic. The USA, even without its three most talented players (Todd Clever, Z Ngwenya, and Paul Emerick) showed both doggedness and discipline. Some quick personal observations: Tony Buckley is one of the largest human beings I've ever seen! Ata Malifa may be a better choice at Fly Half for this US team - his presence energized the backs. Buck Shaw was not ready for 10,000+ rugby fans - Not enough choices for beer, food, or toilets on the north end! Emerald Green was more prevalent than Red White and Blue!! (I'd say 60-40) For that matter, Munster Red was well represented (saw a dozen or so) spotted 1 Leinster, 1 Connacht, and 1 Ulster Strip. Fresno RFC? Well, there were about 7-8 lurking...
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Originally Posted by shasta
