George, you pretty much have the basics there. Not an aesthetically pleasing game by any means, but the close score line kept interest until the end. This was not Ireland's best side. Ten of their best players (Rory Best, Tommy Bowe, Jamie Heaslip, Robert Kearney, Conor Murray, Sean O'Brien, Paul O'Connell, Brian O'Driscoll, Jonathan Sexton, and Cian Healy who is injured) were named to the British and Irish Lions all-star team currently touring Australia, where I'm headed in two weeks. Still, an upset win over a Six Nations side would have been a major accomplishment, and it was clearly there for the taking.

The difference in the game was probably attributable more than anything to the fact that Ireland has a domestic professional league whereas we do not, so their players have at least some ongoing experience working together while ours play all over the world if they play professionally at all, and opportunities to train together are severely limited. Given that rugby is pretty much the ultimate team sport, that is critical.

US played a lot better defensively than they did against Italy last year, but offensively they still try to play too much as individuals like American football instead of moving the ball around in proper rugby fashion. They pass a step or two early instead of taking the ball into the tackle, they pass to guys who are static instead of hitting them at pace (and we showed an alarming tendency to drop the ball when delivered at pace), and there was far too much running sideways to try to elude defenders on their own instead of running north south, taking on the defenders to get the defense out of shape, and passing out of the tackle to the open man. When we ran straight at them, we had success, but we didn't run straight at them enough, particularly early on. I think we have a tendency to think that rugby requires a lot of the same skills as American football, and therefore it must require the same tactics and strategy.

Scrums were terrible. Part of that seemed to be that we had an Argentine referee who couldn't seem to figure out or communicate exactly what he wanted done. But I still think our front five were getting pushed around a bit too much. I expected that last year with Italy, whose forward pack are among the very best in the world, but Ireland's strength is generally in their backs, so I thought we'd be more competitive up front.

I think rugby in the US is probably about where soccer was in 1970 or so. USA Rugby has focused on developing the sport at the university level and has had pretty good success there. Now the effort is shifting to high school and youth programs, which are starting to grow rapidly. I think USA Rugby should turn the university level competition over to the NCAA so they could focus on growing the high school and youth programs and establishing some sort of professional league, but I'm in the minority there--although I think more for political than substantive reasons. There are a bunch of old farts who are more concerned about making sure they have a referee for their old boys club match on Saturday and clinging to what power they still have than about growing the sport. Fortunately, with Nigel Melville now running the show, a more professional management approach is starting to take shape.