Ireland hardly hit top gear and they’re only going to get better
People have short memories, even your correspondent! Two months ago at the annual Rugby Paper Six Nations lunch I correctly predicted an Ireland Championship but before I start puffing my chest out and claiming bragging rights it’s worth mentioning that I also confidently predicted there would be no Grand Slam this year!
The field seemed way too strong for that, only Italy could be ruled out of contention, there would be no Slams for anybody. Wrong, Ireland took it at a canter. In fact, save for short passages, I’m not sure they even hit top gear. There is so much more to come from this team.
So how did only Ireland’s third ever Grand Slam unfold. What was the secret, because it eventually took on such an air of inevitability you would be tempted to try to bottle it.
First, one or two things fell their way which they were more than good enough to take advantage of. Their itinerary and match schedule was nigh on perfect. France, reeling from the sacking of Guy Noves before Christmas, first up at the Stade de France in front of a sullen French crowd who were not sure whether to chide or barrack their heroes.
Not only were those circumstances auspicious for Ireland but they then went and capitalised fully by making off with the spoils with their one middling performance of the 2017-18 season, let alone the Six Nations.
Ireland weren’t lucky – the last four minutes and 41 phases of that game were pure class as Johnny Sexton clinched victory with his fine long distance dropped goal – but Joe Schmidt and his team were realistic enough to know they had dodged a bullet and would need to improve massively. And again the match schedule worked nicely for them.
The following week, at home to Italy, Ireland were able to rediscover their attacking fluency with a thumping win and, after a week off to take stock, they then had two more home games on the trot against Wales and Scotland when they played cleverly at key moments to win the Championship before they took the Grand Slam at Twickenham.
So that’s the nuts and bolts, what are the nuances? What marks out the class off 2018 is undoubtedly their strength in depth and the way in which Schmidt is able to deal with serious injuries and drip feed one or two promising youngsters in while holding a few back.
All the talk ahead of the tournament was of Wales’ injury problems but Ireland started without long-term injury victim Jamie Heaslip – who later announced his retirement – Sean O’Brien, Gary Ringrose and Jordi Murphy while Rob Kearney was coming back from injury and Cian Healy returning from suspension. In no time at all they saw centres Robbie Henshaw – probably their best player in the first two games – and Chris Farrell who was MoM in his one game against Wales – sidelined with injury while Tadgh Furlong and Iain Henderson also missed games with hamstring pulls. All of this was absorbed almost without comment.
Out wide, try machine Jacob Stockdale wasn’t really a revelation, anybody who has been watching Ulster and the Ireland age group sides in recent years will have known exactly what a predatory try-scorer he is as well as a supreme athlete. The surprise is probably that there has been no element of stage fright, completely fearless and confident he just kept doing what he does best.
The Ireland pack got stronger with each match with probably the biggest bonus being the return to top form of Healy and the emergence of Dan Leavy as a top notch openside. It would be
an exaggeration to say O’Brien wasn’t missed but frankly his absence wasn’t as big a setback as some predicted.
The crowning glory of the team was, of course, their half-backs Conor Murray and Sexton. The Lions combination are absolutely at the peak of their very considerable games. Murray is consummate and controlled, comfortably the best scrum-half in the world for me while Sexton is remorseless and driving and an individual who makes big plays when they are needed. What a duo, what a card to be able to play.
For me there is a massive difference between this Ireland Grand Slam and the class of 2009. That group should have stormed to a Grand Slam in 2007 under Eddie O’Sullivan but slipped to the sloppiest of home defeats against France first up at Croke Park and they had also been Grand Slam contenders in 2003 when they lost out on the final day to a world class England team.
The 2009 Grand Slam was hard won and well deserved but it had the feel of an end, not a beginning. Ireland under Declan Kidney singularly failed to build as some of the senior hands either started to struggle with injury or form and the youngsters coming through didn’t immediately hit their straps at Test level.
Ireland’s title defence in 2010 was poor with two defeats and the following season Ireland lost three games and slipped to third place behind France and champions England. Come the World Cup they also flattered to deceive bowing out as per usual in the quarter-finals. Another third place with just two wins in 2012 and Kidney was gone, replaced by Schmidt.
Ireland seem in a much better place in 2018. Stunning talents like Joey Carbery and Jordan Lamour are learning their trade under the radar; Stockdale has well and truly arrived; Keith Earls is a player reborn; they are spoilt for choice at centre and backrow; James Ryan and Andrew Porter are massive prospects in the front five.
My only real concern would be the health of Sexton. The Leinsterman is 33 this summer and although that bout of head knocks and concussions seem to have passed he still gets battered about and isn’t getting any younger.
Will he be the same driving force in Japan in 18 months time and who, exactly, would replace him should he hit serious injury woes? My guess is Carbery and that could be exhilarating but that might involve Ireland slightly expanding their game-plan.
Murray is only 28, he seems teak tough, although should he get injured Ireland are not over blessed at scrum-half. Kieran Marmion looks a decent player but we have never seem him exposed enough at the top level to make a really sound judgment.
And that is about the full extent of my worries for Ireland, in truth I can only see them getting better and better.