TWIN PEAKS
On a fantastic night of renewal for Ireland, there was the added bonus of finding two players to build a new era around
IT’S easy to lean into lazy stereotypes when transcribing the French. A nation of moody, chain-smoking, cheeseobsessed people, apparently. Yes, there is no shortage of Camembert, gouda and myriad other varieties everywhere. There’s a reason why virtually every street corner has a tobacconist stationed on it. And, yes, sometimes the locals aren’t the most patient, especially when it comes to traffic.
‘Drive it like you stole it’ seems to be the mantra of the French when they get behind the wheel. Speed limits seem to be merely guidelines in this part of the world. As for indicators? It’s better to seek forgiveness, rather than permission when it comes to changing lines.
Are we guilty of generalising a bit? The passengers on board an airport shuttle to Marseilles airport yesterday didn’t feel that way.
Our driver didn’t take too kindly to an oil truck looking to edge into our tramlines during a gridlock. Cue a barrage of obscenities, horns and fist shaking.
The stand-off eventually subsided and we made it to our final destination, just about.
If Les Bleus had shown half the fight of this irate bus driver on Friday night then we might have witnessed a better contest.
It was all set up for a box office Six Nations encounter. The atmosphere generated inside the magnificent Stade Velodrome in the hour leading up to kick-off was something to behold. After a spinetingling rendition of La Marseillais, we were braced for a ferocious onslaught from the home team, still hurting from their World Cup failure on home soil.
But it never materialised. Apart from a few shaky moments here and there, Andy Farrell’s side virtually bossed this championship opener from start to finish. They looked the slicker, fitter and more aggressive team throughout.
France, meanwhile, were a rabble long before the brace of brainless moments from Paul Willemse. Their defence was porous. And you’d wonder if this group are beginning to tune out from the coaching team.
Fabien Galthie and Shaun Edwards are graduates from the ‘tough love’ school of coaching and, after a World Cup campaign which promised so much and delivered so little, maybe this playing group have checked out a bit. The ends didn’t justify the means and the prospect of another four years of this uberintense environment may have worn a little thin.
It now seems a bit instructive that Antoine Dupont decided to give the
Six Nations a miss. Yes, the lure of securing a medal at the Olympics was strong. But maybe Dupont just couldn’t face another two months of toil in the French camp on Galthie’s watch.
It will be fascinating to see how this French team react in the coming months, but they struck you as a squad who aren’t on the same page anymore.
Farrell’s Ireland are a totally different animal. It was back to business in a big way.
All the lessons of the All Blacks defeat had been heeded. The lineout was snappier. There was more bite in defence and there was far more purpose and cutting edge in attack.
Another Grand Slam won’t atone for what transpired in France four months’ ago. This playing group know they left a glorious opportunity behind them. The next World Cup in Australia is in the distance but Farrell has the foundations for a new-look side which can take care of some unfinished business in 2027.
Yes, there are still a few veterans who will do well to make the flight to Sydney in 48 months’ time. The likes of Peter O’Mahony and Bundee Aki don’t have time on their side. Farrell also desperately needs to source some more Test-standard props in the coming years.
But the spine of this squad looks solid, with Dan Sheehan, Joe McCarthy, Caelan Doris, Jack Crowley, Robbie Henshaw, Garry Ringrose and Hugo Keenan spearheading the next chapter
And, crucially, it looks like a team which could be at the peak of its powers in time for the next global showpiece.
For a pair of international rookies, McCarthy and Crowley looked made for this level. The pair had just 14 Test caps between them and only a handful of starts, but their impact against the French was seismic.
Ever since both were selected on the Emerging Ireland tour of South Africa a few years ago, they have been earmarked for big things.
In McCarthy, Farrell has a forward he can build a new pack around. Same goes for Crowley, who inspired a lot of confidence in the first stage of the post-Johnny Sexton era.
Ireland have waited a generation for a player like McCarthy. Second rows with his size and power are rare in this part of the world. Crucially, he has that Etzebeth-esque edge about him. From the moment he flew off the defensive line and smashed France captain Gregory Alldritt, the 22-year-old was revelling in his role as Colonel Chaos on the pitch. Whether he’s carrying or tackling, McCarthy causes damage. If he can do this to a forward pack of this reputation, what can he do to the lighter units in this championship? McCarthy is only going to get better as well. All of a sudden, he looks undroppable and simply must be accommodated in the starting line-up. Jamison Gibson-Park and Mack Hansen did the same when they were promoted by Farrell. That’s what good players do.
Crowley is set for a long tenure in this team, too. He wasn’t perfect on
All of a sudden McCarthy looks undroppable, he simply must be accommodated
Friday night, far from it. There were plenty of errors and tactical misjudgements but Farrell doesn’t mind his players making mistakes. It’s how they react to them which matters.
Crowley doesn’t seem to get flustered. He doesn’t compound a bad moment with another one. He gets his head tuned back into the game, quickly. More importantly, he revelled in the pace of this Irish pack. The Corkman looked happy to bark orders and cajole players into position throughout. Sexton would have nodded in approval as he watched his successor boss matters. Farrell may have wondered why he didn’t unleash Crowley from the bench when Ireland were chasing down the All Blacks in that ill-fated quarter-final. That’s water under the bridge now.
Another Grand Slam is in sight. A first series win in South Africa will be the next big target. Before we know, we’ll be chatting about the next World Cup challenge.
In McCarthy and Crowley, Ireland have a new crew which can drive this team to the new heights.