LET THEM OFF THE LEASH
England’s humbling shows heights that Schmidt’s talented group should reach
THIS was bittersweet, a fantastic performance that showcased all that is good about Joe Schmidt’s Ireland yet it only ultimately left you feeling numb as the vanquished English were the team still handed the trophy in the aftermath, celebrating on a Lansdowne Road pitch where Ireland haven’t been beaten in the Six Nations since February 2013.
Having defensively shut the door on the back-to-back champions, emphatically restricting them to points from just three penalty kicks, Ireland signed off on the championship conceding the lowest number of points of all the six teams involved, but it sadly mattered not a whit.
Every title winner since 2010 had been crowned on the back of leaking the lowest number of points but rather than that pattern continuing in 2017, the away day leakage of three tries in both Edinburgh and Cardiff had done for Ireland before they had even got to the final round.
It meant that a performance last Saturday worthy of sealing a third title in four seasons was only good enough to confirm runners-up spot and while that will immensely satisfy the IRFU’s money men when it comes to the tournament prize money divvy up, as a defeat would have left them counting the cost of finishing in fourth, it can’t satisfy the ambitions of a fine group of players who know what they are capable of but are struggling to produce it every time they play.
Inconsistency is holding them back and instead of feeling pride in stopping England from registering a record 19th successive Test win 19 weeks after they had delivered the same record-stopping dose to New Zealand, there will be Ireland players wondering why they can’t be left off the handbrake to try and adventurously string together a similar lengthy number of wins.
There was an element of luck to how they subdued the English. Calls for Peter O’Mahony’s inclusion following the defeat to Wales had gone unheard, but he still wound up reigning supreme following his last-second promotion to the starting line-up after Jamie Heaslip did a hamstring in the warm-up.
Would Heaslip’s contribution have been quite as dynamic as O’Mahony’s? You’d have your doubts, O’Mahony’s lineout expertise on both sides of the ball encapsulated by the devastating manner in which he stole a 74th-minute throw to Maro Itoje, the England talisman who vowed to be Ireland’s worst nightmare.
Long before that pivotal moment sucked the life out of any threatened Grand Slam-sealing comeback, the previously peerless Itoje had been made to look ordinary, the off-kilter nature of his first-half tackling even receiving a referee’s warning while his meagre twometre carry off six runs epitomised how much Ireland had him in their pocket.
Even the vaunted Billy Vunipola, who should have been making inexperienced Kieran Marmion’s life hell, didn’t want to know, his gainline advantage amounting to just 16 metres off seven carries 13 months after his imperious presence left Ireland well-beaten at Twickenham. O’Mahony, CJ Stander and the rest refused to let him breathe and his anonymity was replicated by too many of his colleagues who just didn’t have the nous to see this battle out.
England had only themselves to blame that this became their third Slam-ruining defeat in Dublin in 17 seasons. For whatever reason, their first-half showings of late have too often been sluggish and that trend was repeated in this finale.
Ireland, undoubtedly helped by Andy Farrell’s inside track, dominated with 77 per cent terri- tory and 74 per cent possession in an opening period that ended with the hosts 10-3 clear, Iain Henderson’s converted 24th-minute try off the maul creating a cushion that the lethargic English could only partially claw back despite Schmidt’s side going 39 minutes without a further score.
Visiting frustrations were apparent in the large number of high tackles they carried out, just two of four hits on Johnny Sexton, for instance, being sanctioned. Two of those collisions happened within a minute of each other around the hour mark, Owen Farrell penalised for his tackle and Tom Wood getting away with his, and it illustrated how England were off-focus. The visitors were, rashly distracted by one of Ireland’s key players instead of collectively getting on with their rescue mission in the manner of champions. Remember, this was an Ireland that would see out the victory with unheralded replacements Luke McGrath, Dan Leavy, Niall Scannell and debut-making Andrew Conway all looking the part against an opposition people hyped as the world’s best.
Their vitality was further evidence that this evolving Ireland squad, which can now view impressive young duo Tadhg Furlong and Gerry Ringrose as seasoned after they each had five successive starts, should be achieving much more than a runners-up spot. They have the tools but need the guidance to better use them.
Runners-up can’t satisfy the ambitions of a fine group of players