Tough schedule for Irish

OPINION: One of the major scourges of rugby in the professional era is the compression of time.

With tight schedules and TV broadcasters to be satisfied, teams are pulled together and shunted between hemispheres, countries, cities and training grounds.

It is a whirlwind of airport transfers, buses and hotel check-ins as they continually race the clock. Ireland are proof of this.

Having lost 29-23 to the Barbarians in Limerick last weekend, the Irish squad barely got any sleep before boarding a flight to New Zealand, where, after a 29-hour journey on two flights, they finally flopped into their beds in Auckland on Sunday night.

New Plymouth, where they will face the All Blacks at Yarrow Stadium on Saturday night, was viewed as one plane journey too far away.

Instead the men from Eire preferred to get a feel for their digs in the City of Sails, and no doubt attempt to stack some Zs and shake their jetlag, before transferring to Taranaki this afternoon.

Although the locals would no doubt like to see Ireland in town earlier, and be able to indulge in the rare opportunity of watching the likes of Brian O'Driscoll train at one of their grounds, the tourists are actually the biggest losers.

The tight schedule has robbed them of a number of unique opportunities Taranaki has to offer; instead of marching up and down Queen Street or poking around the steel and glass buildings on the Auckland waterfront they could have been viewing the magnificent sight of Mt Taranaki.

Visiting New Plymouth to glimpse the mountain is often a gamble, but yesterday it was in full splendour against the crisp blue morning sky.

Had any of the All Blacks followed the example of their management team and taken an early morning bicycle ride near the sea, they would have appreciated some of the scenic beauty this unique country has to offer.

To the west the Tasman Sea was calm and clear, while to the east Mt Taranaki was blanketed in snow.

Having been given most of the day off yesterday, the All Blacks were free to do as they pleased. Some took to the golf courses, while others may have preferred to chill out and urge the local baristas to stoke up their coffee beans.

For those with an interest in New Zealand's colonial history, a wander through the Puke Ariki museum offered an insight into the Taranaki land wars during the 19th century and a brisk walk around some of the streets would have enabled them to view a prominent hill that was topped by Pukaka Pa.

With the sun beaming down and the mountain gleaming in the background, New Plymouth was at her very best.

For the Irish, though, it may be too soon; grubby weather is forecast and Mt Taranaki is expected to go into hiding behind the clouds once again. The tourists may well have missed their chance.

- © Fairfax NZ News