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'Pete's hurting at this moment in time' - Ireland back row O'Mahony 'gutted'
By PA
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell had spoken of laying down a marker at the Principality Stadium but his game plan was swiftly disrupted by a red card indiscretion from Peter O’Mahony.
Ireland’s task became considerably harder in the 14th minute when Mahony was dismissed for a high challenge on Tomas Francis. The flanker powered in and caught Francis in the head with an elbow, prompting referee Wayne Barnes to consult the television match official before producing a red card.
The back row became the first Irishman sent off in the Six Nations.
Undeterred by losing a man, Ireland responded with a prolonged period of pressure, albeit without being able to find a way through a stubborn Welsh defence.
Farrell said the player was frustrated by his error of judgement but insists his team still have plenty to play for in the tournament, beginning at home to France next week.
“Obviously he’s gutted. Guys don’t do these things on purpose.
"It hampers the team and Pete’s hurting at this moment in time,” Farrell said of O’Mahony.“The players will feel sorry for themselves for a couple of hours then bring the best version of themselves tomorrow.
“Enough of us know about the Six Nations to know it is not won on the first day. We have a very good French side coming over next week and we will back ourselves against anyone in the Aviva.
”Farrell’s side also suffered some injury issues, with James Ryan and fly-half Sexton forced off for head injury assessments, but he insists there is “not too much to be concerned about for next week”.He also backed Ulster man Burns to bounce back from his wayward kick.
“I shook his hand, it is not the reason we lost the game, we’ve all missed touch at some time. The magnitude of it, he’ll learn from it,” said Farrell.
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Latest Comments
I agree.
I’d like to know what constitutes a 208 week ban though?
Must the eyeball be dislodged? Hanging by a vein?
Go to commentsAlso a Bristol fan and echo your sentiments.
I love watching Bristol but their approach will only get them so far I think. Exeter played like this when they first got promoted to the prem and had intermittent success, it wasn't until they wised up and played a more balanced game that they became a consistently top side.
I really want Bristol to continue playing this brand of rugby and I don't mind them running it from under their posts but I don't think they need to do it every single time. They need to be just a little bit more selective about when and where on the pitch they play. Every game they put themselves under so much needless pressure by turning the ball over under their posts trying to do kamikaze moves when it's not required. By all means run it from your goal line if there is a chance for a counter attack, we all want to see Bristol running in 100m tries from under their posts but I think until they learn when to do it and when to be pragmatic, they are unlikely to win the premiership.
Defense has been a real positive from Bristol, they've shown a lot of improvement there... And I will say that I think this kamikaze strategy they employ is a very good one for a struggling side and could be employed by Newcastle. It's seems to have turned around Gloucester's fortunes. The big advantage is even if you don't have the biggest and best players, what you have is cohesion. This is why Scotland keep battering England. England have better individuals but they look muddled as a team, trying to play a mixed strategy under coaches who lack charisma, the team has no identity. Scotland come out and give it full throttle from 1-15 even if they struggle against the top sides, sides like England and Wales who lack that identity drown under the relentless will and synergy of the Scots. If Newcastle did the same they could really surprise some people, I know the weather is bad up there but it hasn't bothered the Scots. Bristol can learn from Scotland too, Pat is on to something when he says the following but Scotland don't play test matches like headless chickens. They still play with the same level of clarity and ambition Bristol do but they are much better at picking their moments. They needed to go back to this mad game to get their cohesion back after a couple of seasons struggling but I hope they get a bit wiser from matches like Leinster and La Rochelle.
“If there’s clarity on what you’re trying to do as a team you can win anything.”
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