Ireland legend Brian O’Driscoll is worried that they don’t have the point of difference in their side to challenge the best teams in the world.
Andy Farrell’s men went down to the All Blacks 26-13 at the weekend in Chicago in what was a disappointing start to their November series.
Despite controlling the opening hour and moving 13-7 ahead, they created little of note and were therefore unable to respond when New Zealand found an extra gear.
Appearing on Off The Ball, O’Driscoll was asked about Ireland’s attack and their kicking game after their loss at the weekend.
Ireland’s ‘lack of cutting edge’
“The kick game or the attack shape? They’re two different things, right, but they can be used in conjunction, don’t get me wrong,” he said.
“You can use your kick as an attacking weapon as he (Jack Crowley) did deep in their 22 with that little kick for Tommy O’Brien, the little grubber that sat up for [Will] Jordan, the cross-field kick that went had too much on it for [Stuart] McCloskey.
“I like that bravery, I have no problem with that, it’s just an execution piece. The shot selection is good, and actually that variety of kicking is really good, too, because it keeps a side guessing as well.
“For me, the lack of cutting edge in ball carrying out wide felt quite evident. It just didn’t feel as though we had a big X-factor that we’ve seen in the past, other than Tommy O’Brien, who had very few carries, with his acceleration, speed and commitment.
“Have we seen the best of Garry Ringrose? I don’t think so. Are we getting ball into his hands?”
While the All Blacks also struggled initially to find their rhythm with ball in hand, making a series of surprising errors, they eventually exploited some holes in the Irish defence.
Scott Robertson’s men ended up touching down four times, with three of those coming in the final quarter.
Contrast to the All Blacks
“Where did the All Blacks get us the whole time? It was wide, it was catch-pass, straightening, understanding the timing of when to throw that pass, committing defenders,” O’Driscoll said.
“I thought their shot selection in the second half was much better, even though the execution wasn’t always perfect. I would be a little less enamoured around the attack shape [of Ireland].”
Ireland did manage to construct one nicely worked try for Tadhg Furlong, but O’Driscoll felt that it was their only bright moment in attack.
“The try was about hard, aggressive carries and speed of ruck clearout. They were like two-second rucks and no defensive team can deal with that level of pressure for three or four consecutive rucks,” he added.
“It was brilliant, it was really great, but I thought that was almost the anomaly in the game, I did not think that there were other areas you could hang your hat on – it really stood out.”
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