Expert Witness: Shane Byrne on Ireland v New Zealand

Editor

With the November Tests moving into Round Three, we welcome back one of our regular Expert Witnesses, former Lions, Ireland and Leinster hooker, Shane Byrne, to preview an iconic weekend of international rugby.

Irish perspectives

Last weekend, England pushed New Zealand down to the wire at Twickenham whilst Ireland enjoyed a well-fought victory against the ever-improving Argentina.

New Zealand move into the fixture with form on the board, but Byrne believes England’s failure to play for 80 minutes last week let the All Blacks off the hook:

“When playing New Zealand, the first rule of engagement is play for 80 minutes. They win games by habit. They crave winning rather like a crack addict craves crack. If they don’t get their fix the withdrawal pains are intense, but in this case their habit is entirely healthy,” he quipped.

“You need to go at them, with 100% intensity, from the first minute to the last, without making errors or conceding territory or penalties. Any loss of momentum will result in a loss on the scoreboard.

“It’s the biggest ask in rugby. England can be really proud of 95% of their game but literally, the other 5% was when they switched off and New Zealand struck; the botched restart by (Owen) Farrell that cost a penalty goal, the nonsensical choice (twice) to go for a catch and drive when three points were on offer. You take EVERY point you can versus the All Blacks because there is no such thing as comfortable lead, no such thing as a score they cannot chase.

“You never get cocky against them or panic. When Farrell elected to kick those corners, his decisions were clouded by a belief of performance over scoreboard and the decisions were wrong, simple. He stepped into both panic and cockiness with both feet!

“Yes, England can rue both the (Courtney) Lawes offside incident and perhaps the collapsed driving maul where a stiffer sanction may have been offered, but only the weak man moans about the one minute in rugby where his side lost the game; the strong man looks at the other 79 minutes where his side should have won the game, and that’s the way world class sides operate,” he noted.

“However, from England’s point of view, despite their loss, the performance was actually a step up in shape and intensity from the previous weekend’s win versus South Africa. I don’t believe their confidence will be anything other than enhanced, and their matches have already provided a bonus or two in allowing the talents of Mark Wilson, Ben Moon and Kyle Sinckler to flourish,” explained the Leinsterman.

Argentina’s ambition

Over in Dublin, an improving Argentina kept Ireland honest for 50 minutes until pivot Johnny Sexton and replacement prop Jack McGrath saw them home.

“It was probably the test we needed,” smiled Byrne.

“Devin Toner put in a big display in the last quarter (more of line-outs later!) and Joe Schmidt will be delighted how Kieran Marmion filled the massive boots left by the injured Conor Murray.

“But on the downside, losing Sean O’Brien to a broken arm will hurt us greatly.

“Player welfare is one of Ireland’s key attributes, something the All Blacks also subscribe to. We have a much smaller talent pool than other nations such as England, Wales or France.

“We have to keep our players fit by necessity and it’s rare that we go into a game with three high profile absentees in Robbie Henshaw, O’Brien and also Murray – three world class players that the All Blacks will really fear.

“Although Bundee Aki is a high-quality player and took his chance well last week, no centre in Ireland has quite the all-round skillset of Henshaw, and his work-rate is second to none.

“I had to chuckle when Sonny Bill Williams went off on Saturday. A few people mentioned that this was a ‘big blow’ to the Kiwis, yet on trots the outstanding Ryan Crotty, who is regarded in the game as one of the most complete centres and one of the finest defending three-quarters in world rugby!

“It shows the depth the All Blacks have and the luxury their coaches have of selecting a side for a task rather than simply naming a side for a game; there’s a subtle difference there, I assure you,” he quipped.

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Line-out technicians

“When we look at last Saturday and next Saturday, we can conclude that line-out parity is a key focus for both sides.

“Jamie George was roundly criticised for poor throwing last weekend, and indeed, both Kieran Read and Brodie Retallick, real champions of the game, stepped up their performances big time in the last half an hour at Twickenham.

“But the turning point was when Steve Hansen threw Scott Barrett on specifically to attack the England throw.

“A line-out is controlled more so these days by the jumper than the hooker. When throwing the ball as a hooker, you are looking to hit a notional ‘bullseye’ target one metre in diameter. Yes, you can make minor adjustments, maybe throw flatter, throw slightly shorter or longer, but in essence, your job is to hit that target and the jumper’s job is to be in the bullseye at the same time the ball is.

“Complicit in this is the movement inside the line-out; using pod systems to take the man marker with you, creating holes for the catcher to be driven through and so on. In short, it’s down to lifters, decoys, throwers and jumpers (four components) working in sync to deliver the result and singling the hooker out in those instances always ignores the other three components.

“When I look at that game, my view is England were slow to react to New Zealand’s tactic of getting the lighter Barrett up high at the front and using big Brodie to attack the throw. It was real high IQ rugby and it again showed New Zealand’s set-piece is peerless,” he admired.

“Devin Toner will be absolutely crucial to Ireland’s hopes in this regard. At 6’11” (2.10m) he’s currently the tallest player in international rugby and his presence means the Kiwis need to get over him with the throw or take him out of the way with a pod or movement decoy. It’ll be a fascinating duel and one for the purists,” noted Byrne.

The vision of success

“Success for Ireland is a win, purely and simply. We have beaten them and lost to them equally in recent matches and we know only too well how they can change from running rugby to pure brutality with equal facility and we saw that in Dublin the weekend after we beat them in Chicago. Their physicality was breathtaking in that game.

“For us, it’s about ball retention, executing the plan, the shape and the systems that serve us well. Our ball retention is right up there with any nation in the world right now and the young guns such as James Ryan, few of whom fear the All Blacks, will throw everything at them.

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“I mentioned playing for 80 minutes earlier. In 2013, Ireland were 22-7 up after 33 minutes and looked odds on for the win.

“We never scored a point or had a sniff of one for the next 47 minutes and New Zealand calmly accelerated to win a by a point; classic 80 minutes All Black control. We mustn’t panic and we mustn’t get cocky.

“My key match-up is the one in the engine room; the world’s best rugby player, Brodie Retallick versus the young tyro, James Ryan. It’s a delicious one indeed.

“James Ryan has been earmarked for greatness since his U20 days; his improvement in two years has been almost obscene and despite a handful of caps, I’d suggest he’s almost the first pick Ireland make. He’s already taken Pauly O’Connell’s crown as Ireland’s tight forward supremo.

“Retallick, well words can’t describe how good this fella is. He’s quite simply in the league of Martin Johnson and John Eales as a forward, with better handling skills than either.

“Ryan is not one to take a backward step and I know he’s relishing the opportunity to beat the best, both as an individual and as a team,” suggested Byrne.

“It’s a game that’s too tight to call. I really wish we’d got all of our stars fit and available for the game, but their replacements are admirable, and both teams have benches stocked with proven finishers to add impetus.

“Many would say Ireland will hope they can win but they will go in with the attitude more so as they know they can win, it’s down to playing for those 80 minutes with 100% intensity and without error.

“Only if you do that can you defeat them, and against the best, that’s exactly how it should be.”

Once again, we thank Shane for his time and Expert Witness will welcome back Rob Andrew next week to preview Round Four of the November Tests. Shane Byrne played 41 times for Ireland with four Tests for the British and Irish Lions. A great technical hooker and a ‘professor’ of the line-out, he represented Saracens and Leinster at club level.

by James While