IRELAND HALT CHARIOT RUN37
England’s Grand Slam and record-breaking party is iced as Joe Schmidt’s men dig deep and restore pride
WHOOPs, England did it again. This was supposed to have been an evening when Eddie Jones’ all-conquering charges would cement their much-vaunted greatness, sealing back-to-back Grand slam triumphs and registering a record 19th Test victory on the bounce.
However, rather than permit their guests to party like it was 2003 (the previous occasion they sealed the slam in Dublin), Ireland turned the clock back to 2001 and 2011 when they had previously ruined England celebrations at lansdowne Road.
There was also a nod to four months previously when they so dramatically humbled New Zealand as the All Blacks chased that elusive record 19th straight win.
If Chicago was packed full of highscoring drama in the American sunshine, this was an altogether different ambush. Rain, a scarcity of points and a weakened Irish lineup only lengthened the odds on a home victory.
What theatre unfolded. It started with the bizarre, a three-minute delay to accommodate the late finish in Paris and the confirmed absence of Jamie Heaslip with a hamstring injury.
What followed was a refusal to yield, Heaslip’s replacement Peter O’Mahony orchestrating a resistance that even had the likes of debut-making Andrew Conway, late bench call-up Dan leavy and the equally inexperienced luke McGrath all in the thick of it coming down a finishing straight pockmarked with English debris.
With Ireland having had to endure a 39-minute spell without a score before Johnny sexton landed a 63rd minute penalty, the back-to-back champions had narrowed the gap to just four points with 13 minutes still to play, ample time, they would have imagined, to turn the score around as they had done on the three previous occasions this season they trailed at the interval. However, there was no deterring Joe schmidt’s men, the epitome of their fire-fighting evident in the passage starting in the 72nd minute where O’Mahony pilfered their lineout after a penalty was driven to the 22.
A sloppy knock-on and then a foolish Danny Care infringement at the ensuing scrum put an end to English presence in Irish territory and then it was only a matter of counting down the clock.
The gravity of England’s surrender was encapsulated in their efforts to play off scrum ball from their own 22 in a desperate HailMary play that inevitably ground to a halt with another handling error. Jones’ so-called finishers had let him down.
Having come into the fray with forced changes to key personnel at scrum-half and full-back, and also admitting the lineout hadn’t been up to the mark by axing Devin Toner, the spirit and cohesiveness of what Ireland produced was special, particularly as the defence had been of growing concern due to the concession of so many tries.
Here, though, assistant coach Andy Farrell, justified his input. His encyclopaedic knowledge, after assisting England for four years, along with natural insider information on his son Owen, was pivotal in Ireland enjoying a rare clean sheet on his watch.
The visitors never once really threatened a try on an evening where all their talisman failed to get going. Even Maro Itjoe’s glowing reputation took a nosedive, his pack beaten up in the first half and he never looked like repairing the damage to a wobbling chariot.
The victory against the odds will put a polish on what had, up to last night, been an underwhelming Irish campaign. But the manner in which they stood up to England not only reminded everyone that they themselves are one of the top sides in the world, it will also force lions coach Warren Gatland into a selection rethink when deciding on the identity of his pride. Ireland had dropped to fourth on the table by kick-off time, scotland and France overtaking them in the four-way battle to finish second, but the runners-up spot they went on to clinch was fully merited, the imposing robustness of their start integral in ensuring England’s party wasn’t the celebratory one they had imagined. Fired up to boss the collisions and demonstrate an increased variation following last weekend’s costly defeat at Wales, such was Ireland’s impact they secured 74 per cent possession and 76 per cent territory in the opening half.
England, slow starters all year except for last week at home to scotland, slumbered their way through the first period and were fortunate to only trail 10-3 as the hosts would have been value for an even larger cushion.
The crucial score, after sexton, who endured some punishing late hits throughout, and Farrell exchanged penalties, came on 24 minutes.
The season-long tactic of punting penalties to touch and mauling finally brought generous reward, O’Mahony rising high and then Iain Henderson, called in for demoted Devin Toner, taking the initiative after the maul to eat up some metres.
That was the signal that England would fail. Whoops, they have done it again.