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Sundays game against Wales was defined by one thing, the social media reaction to it. Personally I like social media as it allows me to talk with like minded people who share my passion for rugby and it has allowed me the platform and fantastic opportunities to share my views and thoughts on the game. However the aftermath of the game showed why social media can be such a cesspool and why I hope players stay away from it as much as possible.
Sport can essentially be boiled down to two things - results and opinions. If results are going your way then I'm not sure much else matters but when they don't, opinions become increasingly influential. There's a running joke that social media is merely a game played by billions where everyday there will be a villain and the aim of the game is to not to be that person. On Sunday Peter O'Mahony and Billy Burns became the villains in the social media rugby world.
I don't think anyone who even has a passing knowledge of the game would disagree with Wayne Barnes decision to send O'Mahony off. It was stupid, reckless, ultimately cost his team the match and he is likely to miss a lot, if not the remainder, of the Six Nations. Apart from the "normal" abuse aimed at players, I think O'Mahony got away pretty lightly, he was the main reason for the loss but Billy Burns error of judgement has become more of a focal point for the keyboard warriors.
Burns went for broke with the penalty kick to touch. He knew the team needed a lineout deep inside the Welsh 22 to have a chance to win the game. Being a good player is not about playing it safe and accepting mediocrity, its about having the balls to go for, despite the risk and putting yourself out there to be exposed. He tried to give himself and the team the best chance to win the game. He made a mistake, one which I'm sure he will have no problem owning and facing up to.
But for one second lets step back from social media troglodytes and ask why was Burns in this situation? Why did Ireland have to rely on a player who has only started one international game and has only 113 minutes international experience in total in such a vital moment in such a crucial game?
The IRFU have a very sound financial mindset that includes not prioritizing a World Cup cycle over the annual Six Nations tournament. This makes so much sense financially but it does also have downsides. For example we are left in a situation whereby the only aim of the coach is to win the next game. Its not about player development or building for the future, its about results. The simple facts are Johnny Sexton is the best outhalf available to play for Ireland at the moment and he will continue to get picked as the starting 10 until that changes. However having him within the leadership group, making him captain and continuing to play him for 70 plus mins in nearly every game means that no one including Andy Farrell can be sure how good or suitable for international test rugby any of his understudies are.
Burns made one big mistake at the end of the game, does that mean he should be dropped - No - but we also don't know if he's capable of being Ireland's future 10 because he hasn't been given a fair chance. If he's deemed good enough for the bench and we know we need a replacement for Sexton in the near future then give Burns or whoever is the backup a fair crack of the whip and lets find out.
The covid bubble in place for the Six Nations means that we are unlikely to see too many changes to the wider squad so I hope Burns gets a chance to prove what he is capable of in the coming games but I already see my timeline full of calls from the pundits and fans to bring in Harry Byrne. However the problem Ireland have at outhalf is only replicated at provincial level with Sexton and Ross Byrne blocking Harrys game time and development. I don't know who Sextons back up and replacement should or will be but I do know that we aren't going to answer that question if coaches don't give players game time.
As I said at the beginning sport is about results and opinions, but if the results don't go your teams way and you think a player needs to hear your shitty abusive opinion directly then do me a favour and unfollow me.