SCALING NEW HEIGHTS
History beckons for what may be greatest Irish team
THEY are not sated yet, and that is what makes this Irish team so impressive. Their determination to be the best means the team will travel to Twickenham where prechampionship favourites England are unbeaten in the reign of Eddie Jones, entitled to believe in a Grand Slam.
England last lost a Six Nations match at their home in February 2012, against Wales, and the time before that was in February 2010 to Ireland.
History holds no fear for this group of Irishmen, though, or the remarkable New Zealander that leads them.
They shape history rather than shirk from it; following a third championship in five seasons, they are entitled to be considered the best Irish Test team yet.
And Schmidt is certainly the best coach to have led the national team, or indeed to have worked in this country.
This was the second time an Irish side have won a Six Nations under Schmidt off the field. As in 2015, the target they left for England was beyond the men in white.
Schmidt and Johnny Sexton returned to speak to the media in the aftermath of that match in Paris. They were in their suits, ready for the official match dinner.
Schmidt was croaking after ruining his voice shouting orders in the Irish warm-up. Sexton sat calmly beside him, a man clearly distracted by the work that remains to be done.
And that is the issue of the week for the players and their management: bringing back into focus the demands of a week’s work with the championship already won.
In truth, it won’t be a problem, because the hunger for more, to push harder, to become better, to reach towards greatness, is palpable.
It is why Sexton spoke so frankly about wanting to emulate the Slam of 2009, why Schmidt was able to discuss at some length the demands he could and could not place on players in the days ahead after seven weeks of gruelling training sessions and matches.
Ireland have the comfort of knowing they have the trophy, but the pressure of completing a clean sweep for only the third time — and against a team who they denied in precisely these circumstances this time last year.
Schmidt (right) should take consolation in the players he can call upon, too. Ireland have never had a better group, not in 2007, when Brian O’Driscoll, Ronan O’Gara and Paul O’Connell led a team high on belief off to a doomed World Cup; or in 2009, when Declan Kidney expertly managed serial European champions to the Grand Slam. Schmidt is happy that he has players of that calibre. ‘I think by pure evidence of performance and results, I think you’d have to say so,’ he agreed. ‘Three in five years, there are some very consistent personnel during that period: Rory Best, Peter O’Mahony, Jonathan Sexton, Devin Toner, Cian Healy and Jack McGrath. There’s Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton obviously, they have been incredibly consistent, and so has Rob Kearney. ‘I am delighted for Keith Earls because he probably would have had two other ones but he was injured. It’s fantastic for him to grab what he really deserves as well, and then there’s this young crew. James Ryan doesn’t know what it’s like to lose a Six Nations.’ Ryan was exceptional against Scotland, continuing his express train-dash for world-class status. Dan Leavy was even better, and Jacob Stockdale, in eight Tests for his country, has scored 10 tries. His pace and willingness to trust himself continue to compensate for the definite defensive wobbles that persist in his game. The veterans aren’t leaving all the glory to the greenhorns, either. Rob Kearney and Rory Best were terrific, and Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander provide the ceaseless power and aggression that is critical to the Irish gameplan. And about that plan. There are many who remain sniffy about it, who imagine the freewheeling game Scotland tried out on Saturday is how the game should be played.
It is questionable if how Ireland play is good enough to beat New Zealand, but it should take care of everyone else, and that is hard to argue against.
Scotland had made noise all week about knowing what Ireland were going to bring, the unspoken consequence being that Ireland were predictable and easy to work out.
If the Scots knew what was coming, it did them no good, because they were unable to check Ireland beyond the first quarter.
If only were the two words in which they found consolation after the match, and it is true that they made a mess of three significant scoring opportunities.
An accurate pass on each occasion could have brought tries, but accuracy is rather the point at this level. It is not the decorative cherry on an intricate structure, but the very essence of the game.
Flowing rugby is utterly ineffective without being able to score from it. And accuracy is where Ireland excel. They create chances and they convert most of them.
But precision runs throughout the team, from the ruthlessness of Best and Leavy at the breakdown, to the lineout routines, to the boxkicking of Murray.
Never in living memory has a championship been won by an Irish team with such efficiency, and with a week to spare.
It makes them juicy targets for a browned-off England, who will spend the week getting shellacked with criticism.
They deserve much of it, as does Jones, because one is entitled to wonder just how much has changed from 2015, when Stuart Lancaster was pilloried and replaced by a supposed hard-nosed winner.
The English are obdurate, though, with some talented backs and the support of Twickenham behind them. Expect Jones to talk about Irish predictability, to rummage through his shallow repertoire of jibes in an attempt to unsettle Schmidt and his players.
They have heard it all before, and then they have set it aside and battled their way to fresh glory.
It is foolish to suppose they would stop now.