CLASH OF TITANS
Something must give in Dublin showdown
THIS year’s Six Nations will reach a peak in Dublin tomorrow when the top two sides in Europe lock horns. Ireland and England both have the look of credible champions — but something will have to give.
The Aviva Stadium will stage a thunderous collision, which will go a long way towards settling the title tussle.
It is a contest that could also serve as a play- off for the right to be installed as the Northern Hemisphere’s premier challengers for the World Cup later this year.
At present, these are the countries apparently best equipped to break the Southern Hemisphere dominance of the global game and that is borne out by the latest world rankings.
By virtue of their shock opening-round victory over Wales in Cardiff, England have risen to third place, but Stuart Lancaster’s team are just 0.17 points above the Irish, who are on a roll.
Tomorrow, the hosts will attempt to match their national record of 10 successive victories.
Their Kiwi coach, Joe Schmidt, is receiving deserved plaudits for his construction of a ruthlessly efficient green machine.
Led by the veteran lock and revered British & Irish Lions warrior Paul O’Connell, Ireland are defending t heir Six Nations title with efficiency, albeit without any great swagger so far, in the course of beating Italy and France with far more substance than style.
England, meanwhile, arrived in the Irish capital yesterday having shown an enhanced capacity to claim results while also proving easier on the eye than they have been for quite some time.
Their successes against Wales away and Italy at home were illuminated by the quick-stepping, try-scoring exploits of Bath centre Jonathan Joseph, while two of his club-mates in the back line, George Ford and Anthony Watson, built on their encouraging emergence during the autumn.
For Lancaster and his assistants, the significance of this attacking progress means England should be equipped to skin the proverbial cat in a variety of ways. The artistry in their play behind the scrum means they now have pace and vision to add to their traditional power.
Tomorrow and beyond, it is this growing ability to mix and match which is the key.
A collective maturity has been apparent in their refusal to panic during their last two matches, particularly when trailing 10-0 in Cardiff. They now have a knack for finding a way out of tight corners.
That may prove to be a handy trait tomorrow, as Ireland present the biggest obstacle to the visitors’ quest to break their annual cycle of second-place finishes.
Four wins out of five with nothing to show for it has become the routine, so this time only a Grand Slam or a title will do to propel the World Cup hosts towards the tournament with any momentum.
Ireland have an abundance of experience, streetwise men and Lions pedigree.
They also have the confidence drawn from their winning run, their mastery of the aerial contest, their maul and their lineout.
While Schmidt has lost Jamie Heaslip to injury, Jordi Murphy is a dynamic understudy at No 8 and O’Connell will lead a formidable home line-up — so strong that Cian Healy is primed to blast off the bench in the second half.
Schmidt has made this a clinical Irish side, so England cannot afford another slow start, such as the ones they successfully overcame in their first two matches.
Their attempts to achieve early fluency and cohesion may be marginally undermined by the back-three changes — with Alex Goode and Jack Nowell replacing Mike Brown and Jonny May — but two weeks in camp is ample time to iron out any creases.
For all the English razzle-dazzle in this championship, they will believe they can win another arm-wrestle encounter if necessary — as they did in the same arena two years ago.
Ford is just as adept at playing a percentage game from No 10 as he is at unleashing runners outside, but the same can be said for Jonathan Sexton opposite him.
As is often the perception, a possible English edge in the scrum will be offset by the threat posed by O’Connell and Co at the lineout.
Ireland are also always fiercely combative at the breakdown and will seek to show their opponents that they remain market leaders in use of the choke tackle.
However, England’s pack is a formidable unit — even with several key men missing — so they will expect at l east parity up front.
Ford’s vision and the running menace of Joseph, Watson and Nowell mean that England can pose problems with their ability to counter-attack.
But with Sexton and Conor Murray primed to apply pressure with their tactical kicking, the onus will be on the re-jigged back three to hold their own.
The last four instalments of this feisty fixture have yielded four English wins.
But this would be their most notable — not far off the magnitude of ambushing the All Blacks at Twickenham in 2012, and arguably more momentous than the recent win against Wales.
The bookies have made the Irish favourites but an away win is a possibility.
It will be a tight, tense, ferocious and epic — as befitting the best two teams in this hemisphere.