Colossus James Ryan has exploded to world summit
Peter Jackson looks back at 2018 and reflects on 2019
Nobody had ever done it before – the Grand Slam, European Champions’ Cup, domestic championship, a series victory in Australia and a one-off Test against New Zealand all rolled into the same calendar year.
Cleaning up on such a monumental scale proved beyond the telescopic reach of such experts in taking opponents to the cleaners as Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio. Both won all there was to win but neither managed it in the same year.
Each of England’s all-time greats kept attempting it season in, season out for 16 seasons. James Ryan nailed all five titles at the first attempt, with a little help from his friends in Ireland green and Leinster blue.
At 22 that would appear to put him one step ahead of Johnson and Dallaglio but then they won the most precious pot of gold the game has to offer, something none of the home countries had managed before or since. At the third time of asking, they won the World Cup in 2003.
Ryan, then all of seven years old, will take his first shot at the ultimate prize some nine months from now. As well as technical excellence, Ireland’s young second row colossus has been blessed with something every bit as priceless, timing his arrival to perfection.
In Japan next autumn, pions of Europe will be fa never before which may n saying much given their a failure at every previous t ment over the last 30-odd That they venture into W year officially the secondon the planet says everyth their stratospheric rise u Schmidt.
Ryan’s part is difficult t mate, his metamorphosis novice to superstar achie record time. Nobody need with the trite request to s your-medals because it w too long.
Many great players from many nations did famous things but none achieved a Grand Slam, conquered Europe, won a series in the Southern Hemisphere or beat the All Blacks. Having done it once, nobody would bet against Ryan and Ireland doing it again.
Of the few defeats the Kiwis have suffered in 21st century Europe, none will have rattled them quite as much as the Irish did in Dublin six weeks ago. In throwing enough spanners into the works to risk a national shortage, Ireland did more than defuse the most sophisticated try machine in the history of the sport. That they conceded only three scrums all night (two knockons, one forward pass) illustrates how they have almost perfected the fiendishly difficult art of controlled fury. The All Blacks conceding more than twice as many penalties reflected their inability to cope. PLAYER OF THE YEAR: 1 James Ryan 2 Johnny Sexton (pictured) 3 Tadhg Furlong