IS FÉIDIR LINN
Barack
Obama will be going for re-election this year but despite all he has
achieved in the past, he has his work cut out
to get his fellow countrymen to believe in him all over again, and he's not the only one.
Not
many thought Ireland would win its first Grand Slam in a gazillion
years when the 2009 Six Nations kicked off, Declan Kidney's first stab at it no less. Not many thought Ireland
had a hope of denying England their own Grand Slam last March. And
even fewer gave us a chance of beating Australia and winning our pool
at the World Cup.
Yes,
there have been many blips along the way as well, and we can't just
close our eyes and pretend they didn't happen. And it's also true
that many of us (myself included) believe that the squad chosen for
this latest instalment of the Six Nations does little to begin the
journey to the next World Cup finals.
But
for the next seven weeks, no matter how much we want to blood young
players and plan for the future, our rugby minds are going to be
focused on one thing and one thing only...our desire to see five
countries have poorer records than ours when the curtain comes down.
Yet
whatever I may think about our squad from a developmental point of
view, one thing is for certain – I have no doubt in my mind that
this is a squad of players who CAN win the Six Nations. Scratch that
– I'm actually going to go further...we CAN win the Grand Slam
including
a win in Paris.
Does
that mean we definitely will? Hell, no. For one thing, there's a
bucketful of variables. France and England in transition. Wales hit
by injuries but still with quality in reserve. Scotland and Italy
chomping at the bit to break free from also-ran status in this great
competition.
But
on our side of the ball, which let's face it is the only thing we can
control, I do have faith in the Irish coaching staff when it comes to
getting us in the right frame of mind to get the job done at LEAST
next Sunday at the Aviva Stadium. In fact, I'm not so sure they even
need to do much more than show the players a replay of that fateful
day in Wellington last October.
With
a partisan crowd behind us and the right mental preparation, we
definitely have the talent to lay down a marker in this year's
tournament. I'm not going to get bogged down, in this piece anyway,
over what selections we need to make...of course I have my own ideal
starting XV but whatever pans out I'll be cheering on with my jersey
regardless on Sunday afternoon.
One
thing I do know for sure...we can do it without Brian O'Driscoll.
Look at what Leinster have achieved this season without him. But not
even that...you HAVE heard of the guy who's filling his captain's
shoes, right? He's the guy I've chosen to be in my lead blog photo
for this year's Six Nations, Mr Paul O'Connell. If his mere presence on the park can't inspire his fourteen
team-mates then nothing can.
If
I were to have one reservation about our chances it would be over
what we do with the momentum from victory over the Welsh should we
make it happen. Can Kidney & co keep their heads in the game for
the full seven weeks? Or will we hear about more ridiculous stories
about people like Keith Earls dreaming about us winning the trophy?
If
it wasn't for England's dwarf-throwing & ferry-jumping that
interview would have been a major facepalm for us, in fact I still think
it was.
But
that's for discussion next week. Right now, I'm not even too
concerned about the XV Kidney announces to start this week. What I
want to see is the mental attitude of the players when things kickoff
on Sunday.
I
saw it last March from the Ireland players from the opening kickoff
against England. I saw it from the Leinster players after the second
half kicked off in Cardiff last May. I saw it from the Munster
players for 100,000 phases at the death in Thomond Park last
November. I saw it from the Ulster players at Ravenhill against the
Tigers. And even though they may not have much representation on
the park, we mustn't forget what we saw from Connacht against Quins a
few short weeks ago.
Hopefully
the Ulster fans will forgive me for resorting to the Irish language by borrowing President Obama's words but I firmly believe my heading is a rallying cry that all four proud provinces can get behind. If you don't agree, that's fine, but this
Ireland fan is going to enjoy every second of anticipation between
now and next Sunday no matter what.
You
with me? JLP
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