Much like the All Blacks, Ireland have started the Nations Championship off strong – claiming victory over Australia and Japan.
They’re travelling to Eden Park this weekend, aiming to crack open the Fortress and break the All Blacks’ 52-match unbeaten streak.
Former Irish midfielder Gordon D’Arcy joined D’Arcy Waldegrave to discuss the upcoming match.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waltergrave from News Talk s'd be.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
But first up, we're going to continue to build up
to this massive clash tonight between the All Blacks and Ireland,
except this time we're going to hear from the opponent,
Gordon Darcy, former Irish and midfielder eighty two caps. He
Ernie joins us. Now, good morning, Gordon, I trust you.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Well, yeah, not too bad. I'm actually as uncomfortable as
it possibly could be in the middle of a heat
wave here in Ireland. And that doesn't just mean it's
not raining. It is absolutely baking over here. A hope
we have a hose pipe band, that's how hard it is.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Yeah, I'm aware of that. A lot of friends over
in that part of the world. Does not sound pleasant.
It's freezing over here. But that's okay, that's the nature
of seasons. Let's talk about this game coming out tonight.
I get a sense that maybe the public over here
aren't holding enough respect for this Irish team, and I
think we're probably going to do this easy enough, which
is a foolest thing to think from a crowd point
(01:06):
of view, But I doubt the teams are thinking that way.
This is fearsome, right, Yeah, it's.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
I think there's gonna be a huge hindsight biased on
this one. I think, you know, Ireland traveled with a
lot of context, a couple of injuries, well, a fair
few injuries, and we'll probably get onto that. How that's
opened up opportunities. And I suppose the resurgence in the well,
not the resurgence, but like two from two on a day,
Rennie obviously a more promising start than his predecessor, and
I suppose a bit more optimism in the Kiwis. So
(01:37):
it's great to see that they because I think we
were getting a fair little bit of stick at the
last World Cup from Kiwis about being too big for
our boots. So it's good to see that the Kiwis
are back too big for their boots again, nicely confident
and looking for looking for looking for an easy win.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
One of the irs bring into this game from the
two games have had so far, can you tell much
about what they may present it at this top level
based on the nation's championship to date?
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Gordon, Yeah, like I think they're like they they don't
change much from how they play so from kind of
game to game. I was gonna ride about in this
in the in the Irish times that we're reasonably predictable
and then we rely on a couple of players to
be to add that kind of individual flare into into
(02:23):
the game. So like conservative enough exiting from the twenty
twos we played kind of a say traditionally from the
twenty two is to play quite conservative in the middle
part of the field, and we just really like to
try and get into gear and around in the twenty two,
whether that's from penalties, getting territory lineout traditionally has been good.
(02:45):
It's been a little bit of rocky on this on
this series, but the kind of the twenty two scoring
in the twenty two has been reasonably good under this squad.
So I don't think we're going to move massively away
from that battlecan comes in offer's a bit of pace,
So again something a little bit different, but yeah, we're
not going to move massively from what we've done in
the last two games and drew in the sixth and
(03:05):
eight's huge alliance on James and Gibson, Park and st
McClusky to add a bit of add a bit of flair.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah. Yeah, I looked to this New Zealand team and
Rainy and they took of optimism. It has changed. It's
much more being played with the DNA, if you will.
Of New Zealand rugby. They want to spread the ball,
they want to run the ball, they want to express
themselves out there. So does this mean that the artists
maybe we'll take that into account and maybe not change
these spots, but be aware a little more that there's
(03:33):
vulnerability within that concept for this all black team.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
So it's it's it's very it's it's a stylistically very
interesting match because you have, as you said, New Zealand
trying to rediscover what they've been historically brilliant at. So
obviously in my day it used to be those three
four try flurries over kind of seven eight ten minute
period that just blew teams away. And usually I am
(04:00):
that kind of offloading or breaking the defensive line type
type of approach, and if there was an off load,
you just had players flooding through and their ability to
convert was was fantastic. I think we're starting to see
a bit of that re emerge with with Rennie and
I think it was the back rower in the against
the French game his try. In the three Rocks leading
(04:22):
up to that try, there was three different scrum halves
and Roguard wasn't one of them. So that moving the
ball that paced away from the breakdown is obviously I
keep point to that Ireland will look to our defense
has been very good, so that's one thing I probably
should have mentioned in the first two games. Ireland's defense
has been has been has been good first half we
had to recalibrate against Australia what we did in the
(04:43):
second half, and very good against Japan. It was good
during the Six Nations so I think that will be
a very you know, that will be the key battle
again it's the New Zealand attack against the you know
that that phase, multi phase attack against the Irish kind
of scramble and defense. And that's the kind of key
battle if for me anyways, if New Zealand win that
(05:03):
they get off floads, they get ball to the with
they pay at that play at that pace that I
mean Ireland having an epislow down the breakdown. They haven't
been able to make New Zealand put players into the
breakdown because that's the key point right. If you have
a breakdown and you're competing at it, New Zealand have
to over resource it. They lose players in attack, and
that's when the defense gets on top.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Is there a gaping wound that salt can be thrown in?
Do you think from an Irish perspective looking toward the
watch anyway, that maybe they can dominate or explain the influence.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Either, Well, like, yeah, it's the you know it sounds
it is quite hard. It's just that individual individual defense
of performances so that you you don't lose any any
individual battles. But like defense doesn't happen like in a
vacuum or closing down. A team doesn't win in a vacuum.
(05:56):
It's kind of a multifaceted place. So you know, if
you look at say the way any team gets on
top of another, they kind of win the collisions, they
win the set piece or at least get party in
this piece. But then when they win the collisions on
or behind the game line, that makes attacking really really
hard because you suddenly move from having ultrafast one maybe
(06:16):
two second rooks to having three four second rooks. And
when you have that, and I think that's going to
be the big tempt that'll be the big area that
Ireland will most likely look to go after is to
try and take the take the momentum, take the air
of the New Zealand attack by moving those rooks from
and sometimes almost zero to one two seconds to three
four five second rooks. And if they do that, that
(06:37):
means the Irish defense has an opportunity to reset and
to regather, because you know, my experience of playing against
New Zealand is that they don't stop coming. So you
have to be able to do that. You have to
the capacity to do that. For eighty minutes.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
And on the Gordon Daci, we thank you very much
for your time. If you want to read more about
what's going through the mind of mister Darcy, you can
just go to Irish Times dot com is an adaiclimnia.
Whatever the all blecks result, let's avoid the era wishful thinking,
very considered opinions. As always, Gordon Darcy, thanks so much
for your time.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Thanks William.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk set be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waltergrave from News Talk s'd be.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
But first up, we're going to continue to build up
to this massive clash tonight between the All Blacks and Ireland,
except this time we're going to hear from the opponent,
Gordon Darcy, former Irish and midfielder eighty two caps. He
Ernie joins us. Now, good morning, Gordon, I trust you.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Well, yeah, not too bad. I'm actually as uncomfortable as
it possibly could be in the middle of a heat
wave here in Ireland. And that doesn't just mean it's
not raining. It is absolutely baking over here. A hope
we have a hose pipe band, that's how hard it is.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Yeah, I'm aware of that. A lot of friends over
in that part of the world. Does not sound pleasant.
It's freezing over here. But that's okay, that's the nature
of seasons. Let's talk about this game coming out tonight.
I get a sense that maybe the public over here
aren't holding enough respect for this Irish team, and I
think we're probably going to do this easy enough, which
is a foolest thing to think from a crowd point
(01:06):
of view, But I doubt the teams are thinking that way.
This is fearsome, right, Yeah, it's.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
I think there's gonna be a huge hindsight biased on
this one. I think, you know, Ireland traveled with a
lot of context, a couple of injuries, well, a fair
few injuries, and we'll probably get onto that. How that's
opened up opportunities. And I suppose the resurgence in the well,
not the resurgence, but like two from two on a day,
Rennie obviously a more promising start than his predecessor, and
I suppose a bit more optimism in the Kiwis. So
(01:37):
it's great to see that they because I think we
were getting a fair little bit of stick at the
last World Cup from Kiwis about being too big for
our boots. So it's good to see that the Kiwis
are back too big for their boots again, nicely confident
and looking for looking for looking for an easy win.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
One of the irs bring into this game from the
two games have had so far, can you tell much
about what they may present it at this top level
based on the nation's championship to date?
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Gordon, Yeah, like I think they're like they they don't
change much from how they play so from kind of
game to game. I was gonna ride about in this
in the in the Irish times that we're reasonably predictable
and then we rely on a couple of players to
be to add that kind of individual flare into into
(02:23):
the game. So like conservative enough exiting from the twenty
twos we played kind of a say traditionally from the
twenty two is to play quite conservative in the middle
part of the field, and we just really like to
try and get into gear and around in the twenty two,
whether that's from penalties, getting territory lineout traditionally has been good.
(02:45):
It's been a little bit of rocky on this on
this series, but the kind of the twenty two scoring
in the twenty two has been reasonably good under this squad.
So I don't think we're going to move massively away
from that battlecan comes in offer's a bit of pace,
So again something a little bit different, but yeah, we're
not going to move massively from what we've done in
the last two games and drew in the sixth and
(03:05):
eight's huge alliance on James and Gibson, Park and st
McClusky to add a bit of add a bit of flair.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah. Yeah, I looked to this New Zealand team and
Rainy and they took of optimism. It has changed. It's
much more being played with the DNA, if you will.
Of New Zealand rugby. They want to spread the ball,
they want to run the ball, they want to express
themselves out there. So does this mean that the artists
maybe we'll take that into account and maybe not change
these spots, but be aware a little more that there's
(03:33):
vulnerability within that concept for this all black team.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
So it's it's it's very it's it's a stylistically very
interesting match because you have, as you said, New Zealand
trying to rediscover what they've been historically brilliant at. So
obviously in my day it used to be those three
four try flurries over kind of seven eight ten minute
period that just blew teams away. And usually I am
(04:00):
that kind of offloading or breaking the defensive line type
type of approach, and if there was an off load,
you just had players flooding through and their ability to
convert was was fantastic. I think we're starting to see
a bit of that re emerge with with Rennie and
I think it was the back rower in the against
the French game his try. In the three Rocks leading
(04:22):
up to that try, there was three different scrum halves
and Roguard wasn't one of them. So that moving the
ball that paced away from the breakdown is obviously I
keep point to that Ireland will look to our defense
has been very good, so that's one thing I probably
should have mentioned in the first two games. Ireland's defense
has been has been has been good first half we
had to recalibrate against Australia what we did in the
(04:43):
second half, and very good against Japan. It was good
during the Six Nations so I think that will be
a very you know, that will be the key battle
again it's the New Zealand attack against the you know
that that phase, multi phase attack against the Irish kind
of scramble and defense. And that's the kind of key
battle if for me anyways, if New Zealand win that
(05:03):
they get off floads, they get ball to the with
they pay at that play at that pace that I
mean Ireland having an epislow down the breakdown. They haven't
been able to make New Zealand put players into the
breakdown because that's the key point right. If you have
a breakdown and you're competing at it, New Zealand have
to over resource it. They lose players in attack, and
that's when the defense gets on top.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Is there a gaping wound that salt can be thrown in?
Do you think from an Irish perspective looking toward the
watch anyway, that maybe they can dominate or explain the influence.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Either, Well, like, yeah, it's the you know it sounds
it is quite hard. It's just that individual individual defense
of performances so that you you don't lose any any
individual battles. But like defense doesn't happen like in a
vacuum or closing down. A team doesn't win in a vacuum.
(05:56):
It's kind of a multifaceted place. So you know, if
you look at say the way any team gets on
top of another, they kind of win the collisions, they
win the set piece or at least get party in
this piece. But then when they win the collisions on
or behind the game line, that makes attacking really really
hard because you suddenly move from having ultrafast one maybe
(06:16):
two second rooks to having three four second rooks. And
when you have that, and I think that's going to
be the big tempt that'll be the big area that
Ireland will most likely look to go after is to
try and take the take the momentum, take the air
of the New Zealand attack by moving those rooks from
and sometimes almost zero to one two seconds to three
four five second rooks. And if they do that, that
(06:37):
means the Irish defense has an opportunity to reset and
to regather, because you know, my experience of playing against
New Zealand is that they don't stop coming. So you
have to be able to do that. You have to
the capacity to do that. For eighty minutes.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
And on the Gordon Daci, we thank you very much
for your time. If you want to read more about
what's going through the mind of mister Darcy, you can
just go to Irish Times dot com is an adaiclimnia.
Whatever the all blecks result, let's avoid the era wishful thinking,
very considered opinions. As always, Gordon Darcy, thanks so much
for your time.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Thanks William.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk set be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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