Late in a player’s career, there comes a game that sharpens the focus like no other, where you exist in a bubble of “now”. For me, that moment arrived in November, 2013, while preparing to face New Zealand.
I was running out of road. At 33, World Cup selection was far from guaranteed and Ireland were unlikely to cross paths with the All Blacks again unless we reached the final. It sharpened me in a way youth never could.
Throughout my career, I had moments, largely outside of my control, that provided perspective and acted as a catalyst. I wrote recently about the power of feedback and mental resilience, which is something every young player should embrace.
However, when your physical mortality as a player appears on the horizon, smart players recognise it and allow it to set them free, while the rest waste years worrying about the end. So, when I was handed media duty the week of the All Blacks Test, the normal polite nods and soft edges were gone.
I was clipped, focused and unwilling to waste time entertaining questions that did not matter. I was present in a way you only become when you know a window is closing. Mindset, when attuned to a task correctly, can be a very powerful driver for a player.
Joe Schmidt was beginning to look for alternatives in the centre and had a young Robbie Henshaw on the bench. Luke Marshall was also emerging and had started against Australia. There was no future to protect – only the present, whatever that would entail. It can be empowering for those that embrace the challenge.
Some do not, trying to deny time and cling to the idea that nothing has changed. Rugby drifts away from them before they realise what has slipped. I couldn’t help but think of that feeling as I watched Stuart McCloskey last weekend.
McCloskey has lived his Test career in the shadow of three outstanding centres. Another time and place and he’d have accumulated 50 caps. Sometimes a player’s ceiling rests at provincial level, where club form never translates to the Test arena. On other occasions, access to the international pathway is blocked by high-grade talent.
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Every time McCloskey has been called upon, he has done well. However, I’ve always felt there was more needed from him at this level to displace the competition. This time felt different. He was selected on merit, plain and simple, even with a pride of Lions from which Farrell had to choose.
The 33-year-old played with a hint of that late-career honesty and an edge, both physically and mentally. He had that willingness to carry, to take contact for the team, looking to free others with an offload. It looked like acceptance – and acceptance can be liberating.
An untimely groin injury means he won’t play against Japan, but if he stays fit and maintains that abrasiveness, it will be hard to push him aside on his return. He gives Ireland something they need: a directness, a selflessness with an offloading threat that can provide a point of difference. This could yet be the richest chapter of his career.
Ireland struggled to break down New Zealand. On the face of it, they were on par in possession and territory, but the All Blacks led the field in metres carried, post-contact carries and line breaks. The game is now asking players and teams for a little bit more imagination with the ball in hand and we didn’t find enough of it in attack.
It wasn’t a collapse per se, but Ireland operate off thin margins to be successful, where the collective effort is supplemented by moments of individual brilliance: a Tadhg Beirne turnover, a masterclass from Jamison Gibson-Park, or a Dan Sheehan try, all built on a strong team platform.
When we don’t have those individual high points, or the team basics are out of whack, the limitations within the Irish system are laid bare.
Ireland went with a clear plan of how to win, a little rigid in approach perhaps, but for three quarters of the game it sufficed to give them a winning position, even managing to absorb Beirne’s red card. However, there was a tariff to play for a misfiring lineout, some poor punting and no line breaks. The crowd sensed it.
Kicks that once felt like clever pressure began to feel like the surrendering of opportunity. With players like James Lowe, Jamie Osborne and McCloskey in the backline, you want to see moments where the ball is kept in hand and defenders are forced to make decisions.
New Zealand may have built their game around structure for the last few years, but the current group are rediscovering that attacking instinct. The individual threats with ball in hand were clear. Leicester Fainga’anuku made a huge impact from the bench, responsible for the break that led to the Ardie Savea try. Beauden Barrett drew Garry Ringrose, his pass beautifully timed to open a gap for Damian McKenzie.
New Zealand’s creativity and support play sliced and diced Ireland in that final quarter. There is a lesson there for Andy Farrell’s squad: find new faces to be creative or adopt a more adventurous approach from the collective. It has to be nuanced – not flinging passes for the sake of it, but moving the ball from the point of contact, everyone thinking about space and actively looking for it.
Too often, Ireland were narrow in orientation. Even so, it’s far from gloom and doom. As my buddy Felipe Contepomi, head coach of Argentina, says: “If the decision is right, then we can work on the execution.” Think Crowley’s cross-kick, for example.
The Japan match is an opportunity to respond to the naysayers. Eddie Jones will try to flood the defensive line and force Ireland to kick. The visitors will be a team with a plan. The Australian has caused Ireland problems in the past.
McCloskey’s display against the All Blacks can inspire. He was selected on form and delivered. It puts everyone on notice and gives Farrell further latitude to trust his instincts when it comes to selection, albeit slightly limited by injury and also the Ireland XV match against Spain in Madrid.
Tom Farrell might get a run against Japan. He’s earned a chance and it’s a reward for form. If not now, when? He could be the attacking catalyst for those around him. There needs to be a sense of adventure that translates from selection to the pitch. It’s time to back form over reputation.
