FIVE STEPS TO IMMORTALITY
Ireland’s odyssey from Paris to glory FRANCE 13 IRELAND 15 ENGLAND 15 IRELAND 24
BIG players produce big moments, and on the first weekend of Six Nations action, Johnny Sexton produced a moment that will go down as one of the greatest in the history of Irish rugby.
It was a gruelling affair in the Paris rain, Sexton’s boot putting Ireland in control before Teddy Thomas sprung for a fantastic second-half try.
When Sexton missed a penalty with 18 minutes left, it looked as though it was set to be another regrettable night in Paris.
However, Ireland dug deep and gave a glimpse of their incredible discipline and mental strength, going t hrough a mammoth 41-phase move before Sexton produced a stunning 40-metre drop goal to win the game in dead time.
THREE THINGS
1 An unfortunate injury to Josh van der Flier gave Dan Leavy an opportunity to steel himself at this level. Leavy became one of the stand-out performers over the course of the campaign.
2 After an outstanding individual try from Teddy Thomas, replacement fly-half Anthony Belleau handed Ireland a lifeline with his penalty miss.
3 Despite failing with an earlier penalty attempt that could have put Ireland ahead, Sexton kept his nerve to send home the 40metre game-winning drop goal. FRANCE: Palis; Thomas, Lamerat, Chavancy, Vakatawa; Jalibert, Machenaud; Poirot, Guirado (capt), Slimani, Iturria, Vahaamahina, Lauret, Gourdon. Replacements: Pelissie (Guirado, 73), Priso (Poirot, 55), Gomes Sa (Slimani, 55), Gabrillagues (Iturria, 60), Tauleigne (Lauret, 66), Dupont (Machenaud, 66), Belleau (Jalibert, 29). IRELAND: Kearney; Earls, Henshaw, Aki, Stockdale; Sexton, Murray; Healy, Best (capt), Furlong; Henderson, James Ryan; O’Mahony, Van der Flier, Stander. Replacements: Cronin (Best, 67), McGrath (Healy, 60), John Ryan (Furlong, 69), Toner (James Ryan, 67), Leavy (Van der Flier, 37), McFadden (Stockdale, 74). A VICTORY that came at a cost. Ireland ran in eight tries against Conor O’Shea’s struggling Italians, but in the process lost both Robbie Henshaw and Tadhg Furlong to injury.
Ireland were full of attacking ambition and Henshaw (twice), Conor Murray, Bundee Aki, Keith Earls and Rory Best had all scored tries before the Italians registered on the scoreboard.
There were concerns in defence as Italy crossed three times when Schmidt started using his bench, but the result was never in doubt. Jacob Stockdale started his incredible Six Nations scoring streak as the game opened openedd up in the second half, dotting down twice in the final 20 minutes.
THREE THINGS
1 Keith Earls wrapped up the bonus point with five minutes left in the first half, which allowed Joe Schmidt to make use of his bench ahead of the tougher tests that lay ahead.
2 The home crowd got a close-up look at some of the exciting talent on the fringes of the first team. Henshaw’s s houlder i nj ury allowed Jordan Larmour to make his Ireland debut, while Andrew Porter was thrust into the action after just four minutes as Furlong limped off.
3 Despite never looking like losing the game, the concession of three second-half tries was a wake-up call that ensured defence coach Andy Farrell was kept busy ahead of t he cl ashes with Wales, Scotland and England. IRELAND: Kearney; Earls, Henshaw, Aki, Stockdale; Sexton, Murray; McGrath, Best (capt), Furlong, Henderson, Toner, O’Mahony, Leavy, Conan. Replacements: Cronin (Best, 60), Healy (McGrath, 67), Porter (Furlong, 3), Roux (Henderson, 40), Stander (Conan, 40), Marmion (Murray, 50), Carbery (Sexton, 50), Larmour (Henshaw, 44). ITALY: Minozzi; Benvenuti, Boni, Castello, Bellini; Allan, Violi; Quaglio, Bigi, Ferrari, Zanni, Budd, Negri, Steyn, Parisse (capt). Replacements: Ghiraldini (Bigi, 44), Lovotti (Quaglio, 36), Pasquali (Ferrari, 56), Ruzza (Negri, 57), Mbanda (Steyn, 44), Gori (Violi, 57), Canna, Hayward (Boni, 56). A THRILLING game which show- cased all that is good about this I r i sh t eam. Wales t hrashed Scotland on the opening weekend and arrived in Dublin on the back of an extremely unlucky defeat to England.
Ireland’s narrow defence was again an issue, but the performances of stand-in players Porter and Chris Farrell — in for Furlong and Henshaw respectively — showcased the strength in depth available to Schmidt in another bonus-point win.
Despite the absence of some key men, Ireland executed an effective game-plan and bagged five tries.
Wales only had 31 per cent possession but kept Ireland on their toes with three tries of their own. Despite all the positives going forward, there was still plenty for Schmidt and his team to work on in defence.
1 A bad day from the tee but Johnny Sexton gave an absolute masterclass with his general play at out-half.
2 This was where Ireland’s younger generation showed what they are really made of. Leavy, James Ryan, Porter and Stock-
dale were all outstanding against a Welsh side bursting with experience.
3 Stockdale’s last-minute intercept was a real gamble that paid off for the young winger. If the 21year-old failed to gather the ball Wales would surely have capitalised, and there were a few hearts in mouths before the Ulster man gathered the ball and raced over.
IRELAND: Kearney, Earls, Farrell, Aki, Stockdale, Sexton, Murray; Healy, Best (capt), Porter, James Ryan, Toner, O’Mahony, Leavy, Stander. Replacements: Cronin (Best, 70), McGrath (Healy, 62), John Ryan (Porter, 67), Roux (Toner, 74), Conan (O’Mahony, 67), Marmion, Carbery (Sexton, 77), McFadden (Earls, 62).
WALES: Halfpenny, L Williams, S Williams, Parkes, S Evans, Biggar, G Davies; R Evans, Owens, Lee, Hill, AW Jones (capt), Shingler, Navidi, Moriarty. Replacements: Dee (Owens, 55), W Jones (Evans, 55), Francis (Lee, 55), B Davies (Hill, 62), Tipuric (Moriarty, 62), A Davies, Anscombe (Biggar, 62), North (L Williams, 62). ANOTHER confident, assured performance from Ireland as Scotland were unable to match the performance of beating England in the previous round of fixtures.
For the third consecutive game, Ireland secured a bonus-point win at Lansdowne Road with tries from Conor Murray, Sean Cronin and another brace from Stockdale.
It was f renetic, high- paced game, with the experienced heads of Rob Kearney, Sexton and the returning Furlong helping steer Ireland to victory.
England’s failure to beat France later that day handed Ireland the Six Nations title, and set up the St Patrick’s Day Grand Slam showdown with England.
THREE THINGS
1 After a man-of-the-match performance against Wales, Chris Farrell suffered a cruel injury blow that ruled him out for the season. Garry Ringrose stepped in to light up Lansdowne Road with a sensational display, including a brilliant, searing 40-yard break.
2 Scotland have had plenty of issues on the road, and were left bitterly disappointed after leaving behind three real scoring chances here — the most glaring being Huw Jones’ fluffed pass to Stuart Hogg which could have altered the narrative.
3 Stockdale continued his amazing scoring streak with two more tries, crossing for Ireland’s opening score on 22 minutes before handing his team an 11-point lead on the stroke of half-time. IRELAND: Kearney; Earls, Ringrose, Aki, Stockdale; Sexton, Murray; Healy, Best, Furlong, J. Ryan, Toner, O’Mahony, Leavy, Stander. Replacements: Larmour for Kearney (75), Carbery (Sexton, 73), Marmion (Murray, 71), McGrath (Healy, 51), Cronin (Best, 66), Porter (Furlong, 62), Henderson (Toner, 55), Murphy (O’Mahony, 55). SCOTLAND: Hogg; Kinghorn, H Jones, Horne, Maitland; Russell, Laidlaw, Reid, McInally, Berghan, Gilchrist, J Gray, Barclay, Watson, Wilson. Replacements: Grigg (Horne, 73), Price (Laidlaw, 67), Bhattie (Reid, 55), Brown (McInally, 60), Nel (Berghan, 55), Swinson (J Gray, 71), Denton (Wilson, 18). TWICKENHAM used to be a ground that instilled fear in Irish players’ minds, but not for Joe Schmidt’s remarkable team.
Ireland never trailed their hosts as they bagged only a third Grand Slam, underlining exactly why they had overtaken the Red Roses in the world rankings in the week leading up to the game.
This was a dominant display with huge performances all over the pitch. The tries came from Ringrose, CJ Stander, and fittingly, Stockdale.
England had endured a disastrous tournament and the visitors were far more disciplined and assured throughout.
Even as the injuries piled up towards the end, Schmidt’s men kept their cool and made a real statement against their fiercest rivals.
England crossed for three tries from their wingers, two from Elliot Daly and the final consolation score f or Jonny May, which prompted the final whistle.
Then it was time to celebrate and reflect on the remarkable journey of the team that Joe built.
THREE THINGS
1 Tadhg Furlong demonstrated why he is the premier tighthead in the world with a man of the match display. Not only was he solid in defence, he pooped up with a gorgeous pass in the buildup to CJ Stander’s first half try.
2 Jacob Stockdale produced a moment of magic to set a new Six Nations record with his seventh try of the tournament, his wonderful solo kick- chase effort the highlight of a fantastic team performance.
3 Once again the young players in this team showed that they are more than capable of delivering at the highest level. James Ryan, Dan Leavy and Stockdale were all immense, while the replacements helped get Ireland over the lines as England fought back in the closing stages.
ENGLAND: Watson (Brown 34); May, Joseph (Ford 56), Te’o, Daly; Farrell, Wigglesworth (Care 61); Vunipola (Marler 53), Hartley (George 58), Sinckler (Cole 53); Itoje, Kruis (Launchbury 71); Robshaw, Haskell, Simmonds (Armand 67). IRELAND: Kearney; Earls (Marmion 74), Ringrose, Aki (Larmour 56), Stockdale; Sexton (Carbery 34-40, 67) Murray; Healy (McGrath 51), Best (Cronin 65), Furlong; Ryan (Toner 67), Henderson; O’Mahony (Murphy 73), Leavy, Stander.