SECOND BEST NOT ENOUGH
Strong finish masks shortcomings
JOE Schmidt’s January predictions — that Ireland could secure a top-half Six Nations finish and that the tournament would be fiercely contested — were correct.
But for Elliott Daly’s late matchwinning try for England against Wales in round two, there would have been a manic photo finish with five teams all on three wins and two losses. That would have been incredibly tight.
However, despite this oft-mentioned ‘fine margins’ phrase used to summarise the championship, it would be wrong to salute Ireland’s second-place finish a grand achievement. It wasn’t.
The fact defending holders England came to Dublin and lost knowing they already had the title in the bag illustrated how Ireland’s on-going inconsistencies continue to hamper post-World Cup progress.
Schmidt (right) statistically remains the country’s most successful Test coach, but his 77 per cent win ratio from the start of his tenure through to the poolclinching win over France in Cardiff 17 months ago (W20 L6) is now running at 52.7 percent (W9 D1 L8).
It was all well and good celebrating those wins over New Zealand in November and last Saturday over England, which stopped those two countries from registering what would have been a world record 19th Test win in succession, but Ireland’s best post-World Cup run has been three wins on the bounce (Italy, Scotland and South Africa last year). That isn’t good enough if the genuine ambition is to wrench the Six Nations title back from England and to become credible challengers for the 2019 World Cup. Not that there wasn’t progress. There was. This time last year when Sportsmail assessed a break-even Six Nations, the torch was shone on how some of the old guard, the likes of Mike Ross, Eoin Reddan and others who had done their state great service, needed moving on to build for Japan 2019. Schmidt is getting there. Twenty new players have been capped since the last finals, three now part of the furniture among the select group of just seven who started all five matches this spring.
We all knew CJ Stander’s quality from his breakthrough 2016 championship, the back row continuing that fine first impression by making 234 metres from 104 carries this term, adding in 52 tackles and a try hat-trick for good measure.
But his ability to comfortably make the leap from provincial to Test level signposted the way for Tadgh Furlong and Garry Ringrose to also make the grade. The rookies weren’t perfect, mind. It was Furlong who turned his back which enabled Scotland centre Alex Dunbar stroll in for his lineout try while Ringrose topped the missed tackle chart, accounting for eight of the 60 Ireland fell off.
However, tighthead Furlong was part of a front row that won 100 per cent of its scrum ball (31 feeds) and his contribution elsewhere — 43 tackles and a 37-metre gain off 45 carries — marked him out as a far better all-rounder than predecessor Ross.
Ringrose’s potential also excited, 185 metres from 53 runs suggesting that the only Irish player to feature the entire 400 minutes has the tools to potentially become Brian O’Driscoll’s long-term No13, successor provided his defence tightens up some more in his massively challenging position.
The nonchalant way which Niall Scannell, a debut in Italy as an elevent- hour call-up for ill Rory Best and Kieran Marmion — promoted to the starting side against England in place of injured Conor Murray with just two days’ notice – fitted in also boded well from a depth perspective.
Thirty-three players in total saw action, 22 as starters, and there were noticeable across-the-board improvements compared to 2016: 15 fewer penalties and two fewer tries conceded; 14 fewer kicks from the hand, 203 extra passes, 44 extra defenders beaten, five extra linebreaks and 14 more offloads while their percentage of just 8.9 missed tackles (60/674) was a tournament high.
That should have been the platform for Ireland to kick on and live up to pre-tournament favouritism, but particular aspects — notably lineout wobbles and defensive frailties — saw them beaten by the teams finishing fourth (Scotland) and fifth (Wales).
Simon Easterby’s lineout wasn’t as unreliable as 2016 when eight of 49 lineouts were lost. But it wasn’t sufficiently reliable either, six of 66 throws going astray, critically one in each of the defeats after a penalty was ambitiously kicked into the 22 with the aim of unleashing a maul that had stuttered in similar situations last season.
Despite the axing of Devin Toner (20 catches and two steals), the set-piece optics looked so very different last weekend with the inspired Peter O’Mahony accidentally involved, Jamie Heaslip pulling up lame before kick-off.
As for the defence, there is something about Andy Farrell’s desire to generate greater linespeed that is leaving Ireland vulnerable, 27 tries conceded in his dozen matches since joining. Keeping England and France try-less gives him kudos, but giving up a halfdozen scores to the Scots and Welsh highlighted the gamble, as evidenced by Stuart Hogg’s two tries and George North’s opener.
Attack is another sector requiring forensic reflection, Ireland enjoying on average 59 per cent possession and 62 per cent territory per game. However, far too much possession in opposition 22s
went unrewarded, Schmidt’s side going from a scoring a dozen tries in its first two matches with Paddy Jackson at No10 to scoring just two in the final three with Johnny Sexton as architect in chief.
The run-in, unquestionably, was tougher, but Sexton, judging by his meagre 16-metre gain from 14 carries against Wales and England, was purposely trying to ignite things from well behind the gain line.
Harnessing additional variation to aid this tactic seems a must in the 11 months before Ireland do it all over again, their 2018 campaign starting away to France with the onus on not starting as slowly as they did in Scotland. That setback set the tone for coming second best.