Ireland team leaves a lot to be desired

It was one of the many images we were left with in Paris. Tomas O'Leary (for once) had quick ball too work with and he had Ronan O'Gara flat on the gain line. An attack was ready to be launched. And then Jerry Flannery arrived, and O'Leary decied to let Flannery pick and go. The ensuing ball was so slow as to be unusable, and the attack petered out.

It was symptomatic of Ireland, and O'Leary's, performance all day. After the game, the general consensus was that changes would have to be made for Twickenham, and changes have been made.

But they are the wrong ones.

Geordan Murphy in for the injured Rob Kearney was expected and is right. Johnny Sexton for the out of sorts Ronan O'Gara was inevitable as was Rory Best coming in for the suspended Jerry Flannery. The decision to retain Tomas O'Leary ahead of Eoin Reddan and to drop Leo Cullen for a fit again Donncha O'Callaghan however beggars belief.

O'Leary two weeks ago was slow, indecisive and lacked urgency. His delivery to O'Gara was too slow and innaccurate. To be sure, O'Gara had a stinker, but it was not all of his making. When he has to reach for a slow pass as he had to too often in Paris, it makes it all but impossible for him to run a backline effectively. O'Leary's decision making was not of international standard and he seemed almost cowed by the French pack. Too often he called for a pick and go or just let the forwards do what they wanted. A scrum half must boss his pack. He must be vocal, he must give direction, and he must be willing to have a go at his pack if they are in the way. O'Leary demonstrated none of these qualities. Eoin Reddan is by nature a more vocal character and his delivery was demonstrably faster when he came on. As well as his physical skills, his inclusion would have ensured that Sexton had his regular Leinster team mates either side of him, this could only improve the understanding amongst the backs.

As for the decision to include O'Callaghan instead of Cullen, well, it is hard to credit. Cullen was probably the stand out Irish forward against France. He repeatedly won lineouts against the throw and was far more noticeable around the park than Paul O'Connell. Indeed, when he was called ashore in the 65th minute, it is fair to say that it should have been O'Connnell who was taken off.

Donncha O'Callaghan is an honest to god player who has been a fixture for Ireland the last four years. He's also a limited player who has not played a competitive game since injuring knee ligaments on January 22nd.Will he matchfit? Is he a better bet than Cullen on Saturday?

England may have played poorly but they are slowly building momentum and are still unbeaten in t he tournament. Ireland are coming off a first defeat in a year and need to make a statement at Twickenham this Saturday. declan Kidney needed to make changes but two errors could be costly.