Amid the nagging concern that this Ireland team has become more Johnny Sexton-dependant, there is the equally nagging feeling that they could be getting more out of Simon Zebo. As well as being a good finisher, Zebo often operates to excellent effect as an alternative playmaker for Munster, as he's done for Ireland on occasion, but this has invariably been from fullback, where there is more licence to roam, than on the left wing.
Take last November's win over Australia. Zebo was an 11th-minute replacement for the injured Rob Kearney at fullback, and put in that wicked grubber which Keith Earls latched onto before releasing Iain Henderson for the try-line.
Zebo was back on the wing, with Joey Carbery at fullback, and Ireland were trailing 20-24 when he rushed out of the defensive line to nail Michael Hooper and earn the attacking lineout from which Ireland scored the winning try.
It emanated from a lineout maul, and a couple of one-off rumbles by Garry Ringrose and Peter O'Mahony, a pick-and-go by CJ Stander, carries by Josh van der Flier and O'Mahony off outside and inside passes by Paddy Jackson, Murray skip-passing to Cian Healy and one out to Tadhg Furlong, before Jackson fed Stander.
There was nothing too risky or flash, the stuff that Ireland have often done well but are now being criticised for, but it was high-octane. Critically, O’Mahony (twice), Cian Healy and Furlong all carried hard over the line, and with quick recycles Ireland picked the optimum moment to go wide when Murray skip-passed to his buddy Zebo, whose cut-out pass put Earls over in the corner.
It helps too when you have another playmaker to augment the outhalf, but when stationed on the wing, Zebo has those basic duties to look after.
“It is hard because, as a winger, I am supposed to keep width as well. It is harder for me to come off my wing and go in and ‘playmake’ because you have to be in there for a few phases and you have to get someone else with a different role to go out onto the wing. It’s tough. But I have the licence to do it when the chances are there. It is harder to go there from the wing.”
Low-risk
Zebo’s playmaking skills are recognised sufficiently for him to play at outhalf when Sexton was in the bin against Wales, albeit his two restarts were low-risk and long. Furthermore, Zebo rarely touched the ball twice in two prolonged bouts of recycling via one-off rumblers as Ireland, understandably, sought to run the clock down in Sexton’s absence.
He enjoyed the stint at outhalf though. “I would have preferred a little longer, but Johnny had to come back on, I suppose,” he acknowledges, smiling. “It’s hard going in there when we are a man down. The space definitely wouldn’t be out wide then because they have the extra man. I tried to order the forwards around the place and take a few drop-offs. It was nice to get a few touches like that.”
Re-discovering the clinical edge they showed against Australia, and indeed the All Blacks in Chicago and at times in this Six Nations, is their main area for improvement, according to Zebo.
“We’re close. We’re not perfect at the moment. It is little mistakes, little errors that are costing us. We left a lot of chances out there in The Principality and we did against Scotland as well. They’ve come back to bite us. We just need to be more clinical.”
Ireland are also searching for the clinical cutting edge England, with two playmakers in George Ford and Owen Farrell, demonstrated so handsomely against Scotland.
Strike moves
“It’s probably the best they’ve played in this Six Nations,” admits Zebo. “They were very clinical when they got ball in hand in the opposition half. Some of their strike moves, their variations off them, are exceptional and they’ve the right players to fit the bill to play those moves – fast feet, feet hands, and excellent skill-sets.”
It will be hard to nullify them, Zebo acknowledges, though as significant will be testing the English defence. Nor does motivation come from stopping England winning back-to-back Grand Slams or setting a new world record.
“Honestly, there wouldn’t be much motivation around stopping them doing anything. The motivation would be around putting in a good performance for us, because we’re frustrated that we haven’t finished the chances and won these close games.
“We’ve lost two games, but we still have a chance to finish in the top half of the table. We’re hugely excited about that. More importantly, we’ve the opportunity to put in a huge performance for ourselves, our fans and our families. We’re not looking at where they are and where they’ve come from. We’re just focusing on beating them, and if we do that we’ll be in an even better place.”
