Cracking clash to get Six Nations off to great start
AT this time of year, when the Six Nations comes around, rugby supporters get terribly excited and nationalistic, but this can sometimes change when their country does not perform as expected. Suddenly English supporters will find some Welsh, Scottish, or Irish blood if the red rose is not going so well.
It also happens in reverse when normally very loyal Scottish supporters ditch their kilts and start to wave the St George flag.
This trait may well start earlier than normal with England playing the Irish in Dublin in their first game. In backing a winner every betting man will tell you to have a good long hard look at the form/facts before any money is parted with.
Fact 1: Ireland rank above England in the world rankings.
Fact 2: England has not won in Dublin since 2013.
Fact 3: In Jonny Sexton, Ireland has the 2018 world player in their ranks. Fact 4: Irish provincial sides are performing well in Europe, indicating their big players are on form. Fact 5: they are on home soil. Fact 6: Ireland are also the current Six Nation champions winning a grand slam last time out. But they will have to cope with being favourites to beat England. Will the pressure get to them? Pressure can make or break players but I predict that the men in green will deal with this and win the game, on the way to winning another championship. That said you cannot write off the Welsh who play the Irish and English at home.
All these different variants make this the best rugby competition outside of the World Cup.
The one pressure all countries will have is it is a World Cup year, when every nation will want to have a great championship ensuring their confidence is sky high come the summer.
To win big games your big players must stand up and be counted, whatever is riding on the game. For England skipper Owen Farrell, I cannot imagine what the atmosphere is like between father and son, his dad Andy being on the Irish coaching team.
That would make a very intriguing documentary.
Owen will have to be careful every camera, referee, pundit will be watching him very closely for any little misdemeanour, back chat to referees, high shots. He will have to manage his temperament, and of course, he will have steer England around the pitch and organise the English attack.
Other than Chris Robshaw, Owen Farrell is my favourite England player.
I love his attitude, he is not afraid to mix it and does not ask his players to do anything he would not, and this of course is a trait of any great captain.
His head to head with Sexton, inset, will be delightful to watch, both players are very patriotic and passionate for their country to win.
In recent times Eddie Jones has gone for brute force putting the opposition on the back foot, before opening up.
I think to gain a historic win at the Aviva they must get the balance right, start the game unpredictably make the Irish think about the men in white’s next move.
With this they must be accurate, keep the penalties around the five mark, and of course this is always under pinned by a solid platform at worst, and a destructive one at best.
So I am looking forward to Saturday with the Whiteway clubhouse packed and loud. Ireland by 10.