SEIZE THE DAY!
A win over Scotland and automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup is within Ireland’s grasp
BY kick-off time this afternoon, Ireland’s destiny will be in their own hands. Wales v Italy at the Principality Stadium will have finished up and Scott Bemand’s side will know exactly what they’ll need from their final-round meeting with Scotland at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast.
The visitors are currently in third place in the standings after an impressive campaign. Scotland have defeated Wales (20-18) and Italy (17-10) in this tournament while they gave France a huge fright before going down 15-5 in Edinburgh. The only noshow in the championship was a 46-0 hammering at the hands of England in the third round.
That was no disgrace, however. After all, Ireland shipped 88 points – including 14 tries – in Twickenham last weekend.
England are light years ahead, with France gaining ground, but Scotland are clearly the strongest of the ‘second tier’ sides in this edition of the Six Nations.
A victory, of any kind, against Bryan Easson’s side would be quite the achievement for this Irish team. The chat from the camp all week about ignoring permutations is not just party line stuff. If they go chasing anything too early in this game, the hosts will be in big trouble.
The Wales v Italy game may alter the picture slightly but, ultimately, Ireland need a win in Belfast to secure third place in the final standings and, crucially, automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup in England.
If Ireland manage all that, it will be a monumental achievement from this young squad.
Because Bemand and the rest of this group were building from a low base a few months ago. Lest we forget, this squad was competing in WX3, the lowest tier of World Rugby’s new global rugby competition, earlier this year with the likes of Kazakhstan and Colombia providing the opposition in Dubai. Go back even further and Ireland were finishing with the Wooden Spoon in the 2023 Six Nations, the first time they suffered the ignominy of last place since 2004.
Twelve months before that, it took a last-gasp try from Enya Breen at this venue to secure a win against Scotland and avoid last place in the table. Then there was the failure to qualify for the World Cup in Parma. We had the players’ letter to the Government, the Anthony Eddy fiasco and plenty of other offfield issues. Ciara Griffin and Nichola Fryday were successive captains who voted with their feet and called it a day at international level despite being on the right side of 30.
So, that’s been the landscape in recent times. Yes, Twickenham was a galling outing but it will quickly be forgotten if Ireland manage a big result here and seal their place at next year’s global showpiece.
If you park the shellacking in London for a minute, there have been clear signs of improvement on the pitch.
The defensive grit shown on the opening weekend against a powerful French side in Le Mans set the tone. Yes, the home side were a different class but they got nothing from a fired-up and organised Irish defence which delivered a whopping 175 tackles on French soil.
The loss to Italy at the RDS was disappointing but there was no shortage of attacking enterprise. A bit of composure with ball in hand and a steadier set-piece and Ireland would have had a decent scalp in the second round.
The Wales win was a high point. The best display in years?
Undoubtedly. Something clicked in Cork with Aoife Wafer starring on the blindside flank. When the likes of Eve Higgins and Béibhínn Parsons got some quick ball in space, they were able to cause all sorts of damage.
The England mauling seemed to disrupt all that progress on Leeside, mind you. How will this group pitch up today after suffering such a demoralising defeat? Having Sam Monaghan back on board will be a significant boost. The Gloucester Hartpury lock is a real talisman in this team and will provided plenty of carries and a few trademark offloads.
Breen, the hero on the ground two years ago, returns to midfield while Meabh Deely replaces Lauren Delany, who had a defensive nightmare against England, at full-back in the final change to the starting line-up.
The face that Scotland are missing Chloe Rollie, due to a three-match suspension, is a further boost for Ireland. The Loughborough Lightning fullback is a real game-breaker and will be missed.
Experienced second row Eva Donaldson also returns to the line-up after suffering a family bereavement.
This is going to be a tough task for Ireland, make no mistake about it. But with a record crowd of 7,000 expected through the turnstiles, they have the ability to finish this Six Nations with a flourish.