Stockdale sets Six Nations record as Ireland win Grand Slam in England
▶ Wing touches down for his seventh try of this season’s championship at Twickenham
Ireland’s Grand Slam triumph owes everything to Jacob Stockdale’s record-breaking scoring exploits but also an unwitting helping hand from Twickenham’s ground staff.
Coach Joe Schmidt’s class of 2018 need never work again after claiming just a third Six Nations Grand Slam for Ireland with a 24-15 victory at England’s traditional stronghold, and on St Patrick’s Day to boot.
Ulster wing Stockdale set a new record of seven tries in one championship in the Six Nations era as Ireland echoed the exploits of the 1948 and 2009 clean sweep winners.
Stockdale, 21, would have already been in the dead-ball area when he dotted down had England not extended their in-goal area in the buildup to yesterday’s encounter.
Never in Ireland’s wildest dreams could they have imagined beating England by a record Twickenham scoreline to seal a Grand Slam in this London fortress.
It is even more preposterous still that England’s decision to extend their in-goal area gifted Stockdale the room to dot down from his own chip and chase. At just 21, Stockdale boasts 11 tries in just nine Test matches and a Grand Slam triumph the likes of which generations of Irish internationals simply never got anywhere near.
Ireland became just the second team in Five or Six Nations history to complete a Grand Slam at Twickenham, emulating the France team of 1981.
There was nothing “scummy” about this Irish performance, with England coach Eddie Jones made to eat his words that surfaced in a YouTube video in midweek.
Jones’ controversial criticism of Ireland and Wales came to light on Wednesday, but dated back to a corporate sponsor talk in July 2017. Jones could do little save swallow those words as his England side were comprehensively undone by Schmidt’s regimented men.
Garry Ringrose’s sweet footwork kept England busy in midfield, but it was his neat touchdown from Johnny Sexton’s high bomb that handed Ireland their first try.
CJ Stander had the presence of mind to barge into the base of the post for the second, capping a set move where Tadhg Furlong sent Bundee Aki hurtling through England’s line.
Tighthead props are not meant to throw game-breaking passes, but therein lay the beauty of Schmidt’s latest cunning plan.
The world’s best coach has driven the globe’s second-best team into Ireland’s annals.
Earlier yesterday, Scotland narrowly avoided a nightmare end to their Six Nations campaign by beating Italy 29-27 with a Greg Laidlaw penalty a minute from time after trailing the perennial wooden-spooners for most of the game.
Scotland scored four tries before snatching victory from the distraught Italians but the result could well have gone the other way, with an expectant home crowd of 60,000 on the verge of celebrating a first Six Nations victory in three years.
Scotland broke the Azzurri’s resistance in the final 10 minutes with a try by fullback Stuart Hogg and the deciding penalty by scrum-half Laidlaw, whose kick drove the stake into Italian hearts with a minute left on the clock.
The visitors had already scored three tries through hooker Fraser Brown, captain John Barclay and winger Sean Maitland, but they were well off the form that carried them to victory against England three weeks ago, dropping balls and conceding penalties.
Italy, who last won a Six Nations game against Scotland in 2015 in Rome, led for about an hour, steered by 24-yearold fly-half Tommaso Allan, the man of the match, who scored two tries and set up a third for fullback Matteo Minozzi.
“I am destroyed for them, the players,” said Italy’s Irish coach, Conor O’Shea.
O’Shea attributed the loss to a lack of experience required to close out the game.
“Boy, we played some rugby out there today,” he said.
Scotland ended their campaign with 13 points.
Italy were already guaranteed to finish last for the 13th time since their first Six Nations campaign in 2000.
Their string of 17 straight defeats in the competition equals the worst losing streak in the northern hemisphere’s premier tournament since France racked up 17 losses a century ago between 1911 and 1920.
Ireland became just the second team in Five or Six Nations history to complete a Grand Slam at Twickenham, emulating the France team of 1981