Six Nations 2010: Brian ODriscoll the weak link in Irelands defence

By Will Greenwood Published: 4:37PM GMT twenty-six February 2010

In a muddle: Brian O"Driscoll tries to plunge in to France"s Francois Trinh-Duc Photo: GETTY IMAGES

On the one side you have Ireland, Grand Slam champions and with some-more than half an eye on the universe rankings. They wish to be noticed as universe class, but they got a great kicking from France last time out, whom themselves got a great kicking from New Zealand in the autumn.

Then we have England, who feel they are removing a great kicking from the press. They have dual wins from dual matches, they have home advantage, and they have heaped all their eggs in one basket. Winning is everything. That"s a great basket in my eyes.

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Their turn of opening has been excusable opposite the teams they have played and in the locations in that they have played.

Some pundits will speak about performance, but this diversion is all about winning. Nothing else matters. If Ireland lose, so majority of the movement that has been painstakingly built up over the past couple of years will disappear. If England lose you are uncertain of what their plan B competence be. So far they have been construction on basics, bargain the worth of set square and territory, and perplexing to benefit certainty so that the group solve and gel.

They have lacked the torpedo touch, and you clarity that the longer the compare goes, the some-more the pendulum will pitch towards the group who have managed to squirm out of majority scrapes. That is not the gift nonetheless of this England.

Ireland, though, have their own issues, and infrequently it is a process directed at the destiny that could harm them today.

England have to display this weakness, that is called Brian O"Driscoll. Bet you didn"t see that coming, generally after I wrote 1,000 difference not prolonged ago observant what a fable he was.

Let me explain. Ireland"s behind line, with Brian at the heart, has had one of the majority appropriate deposit defences in the business. But defensive systems are all the time bettering and changing, swapping in between flapping (sliding opposite the margin and shepherding the conflict in to a blind alley) and blitzing.

Wasps used the shell to win titles and Heineken Cups. The South Africans have used it to win a World Cup. When finished well, it is unbelievably oppressive. You cut off a team"s capability to make use of breadth as a weapon, forcing people behind inside and removing mixed turnovers. The capability to shell is right away a must-have conform accessory. Le blitz, c"est chic. But it is additionally a risk reward-strategy, and it does not fit all teams.

The majority critical thing to recollect is that you cannot force a complement on a group that it does not suit. Perhaps the Irish smarts hold they need the shell to win the World Cup in 2011, in that box I see brazen to examination it improve.

What it equates to usually now, however, is that when you fool around with speed opposite Ireland they are vulnerable. Its main outcome is to revoke the defensive efficacy of O"Driscoll, a centre who plays similar to the majority appropriate flanker.

He is not flapping any some-more since he is heading the line up on the blitz. So if a mangle is done inside he has no possibility of removing back.

More importantly, it exposes him to a complement that I usually don"t think is his or Ireland"s style. Against France it unprotected Ireland as a group still entrance to conditions with a new reality.

Early on Mathieu Bastareaud ran by a hole big sufficient for a train and in the hasten Rob Kearney was harmed and put out of the game. Later Francois Trinh-Duc waltzed past O"Driscoll on his inside and Jauzion gratefully supposed the five points.

For the Clement Poitrenaud try O"Driscoll, in attempting to close off the breadth when they were on the behind foot, got himself in to an ungainly on all sides to plunge in to Bastareaud, who offloaded for the try.

Ireland"s defensive problems are similar to England"s aggressive issues. You cannot censure it all on O"Driscoll usually as you cannot point the finger usually at Jonny Wilkinson.

But your defensive captain and personality of the line is some-more mostly than not a centre. The call in is there for England to concentration on O"Driscoll, fool around with dash and try to display a error line.

All this competence assistance Ireland turn a improved group in the prolonged run, but I don"t think England will be worrying as well majority about what happens in the future.

As we know usually as well well with Martin Johnson and his sides, it"s all about the here and now.