Perfect start opens up Ireland’s path to potential historic Six Nations success
Two wins from two games, ten points from a possible ten – as starts to the Six Nations go, it couldn’t have gone much better for Ireland.
Sure, they will be frustrated that they conceded a few soft scores against England and Scotland, yet if you had offered Irish supporters such an emphatic opening to their side’s title defence, they would gladly have grabbed it with both hands.
So too would interim head coach Simon Easterby, who deserves enormous credit for overseeing Andy Farrell’s Lions sabbatical in a calm and confident manner, which has been reflected in the players’ form on the pitch
For all that Easterby is a vastly-experienced campaigner, it was only natural that there was some uncertainty hanging over Ireland ahead of the Six Nations, and while of course they have missed Farrell’s influence, the coaches and players alike have handled the transition well, which speaks volumes for how much of a well-oiled machine the Irish system is.
The net result from beating England at the Aviva Stadium and Scotland at Murrayfield, both with crucial bonus points, is that Ireland now stand alone as the only remaining unbeaten team. In other words, Ireland are the only team who can win the Grand Slam.
Lest we forget, Ireland began the Six Nations chasing a shot at history, as they look to become the first side to win three consecutive titles. Two games in, they are well on course to do so, while the major added carrot of setting a new record as Grand Slam champions has supporters daring to dream.
At this juncture, it looks as though it all hinges on the March 8 meeting with France in Dublin, however, the Ireland squad are understandably not looking beyond their next game against the struggling Welsh in Cardiff.
Everyone knows what’s at stake and even if this Wales team are at their lowest ebb, it would be foolish to be complacent under the roof at the Principality Stadium. That the game falls either side of a break weekend means Easterby will be mindful of ensuring that Ireland’s momentum is not disrupted.
From the outset, Easterby spoke of the importance of generating momentum as soon as possible, and a 27-22 win over England provided just that. Ireland overcame a sluggish start to take all five points thanks to tries from Jamison Gibson-Park, Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne and Dan Sheehan, who marked his return to the green jersey with a stunning performance off the bench.
Sheehan hadn’t played for Ireland since he injured his ACL on last summer’s tour to South Africa, but he defied to odds to make it back in time for the Six Nations, which came as a major boost to Ireland, as well as Sheehan’s hopes of becoming the starting Lions hooker in Australia this summer.
And that’s one of the major subplots to this year's Six Nations, as every performance is being viewed through the prism of the Lions, as Farrell begins to shape his squad to take on the Wallabies ‘down under’.
Ireland began the Six Nations with a fresh face at out-half, as Easterby picked up where Farrell left off in November by selecting Sam Prendergast in the No 10 jersey. It was a huge show of faith in the then 21-year-old, who recently turned 22, and the Kildare native justified the confidence that had been placed in him to see off stiff competition from his Munster rival Jack Crowley, who is also playing very well at the moment.
Just as Ireland did as a collective, Prendergast grew into the tournament, and on the back of his Six Nations debut, he delivered an even better performance at Murrayfield in what was his first major test away from home in the green jersey. Prendergast played a central role in Ireland’s 32-18 over Scotland, as his clever game-management and superb array of passing helped to create another four tries courtesy of Calvin Nash, captain Caelan Doris, the in-form James Lowe and Jack Conan, who like Sheehan, has been immense off the bench in the opening two rounds.
Competition for places has rarely been as fierce, as is evidenced by the strength of the replacements Easterby has been able to call upon, and that bodes well considering second-row Joe McCarthy and tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong will hopefully come back into the mix over the next couple of weeks, while winger Mack Hansen also missed the recent trip to Edinburgh due to injury.
Easterby’s next task is to strike the right balance in his team selection for Wales because although there is widespread expectation that Ireland will win well, especially now that Warren Gatland has departed as head coach, they can ill-afford to take their eye off the ball.
As mentioned earlier, Ireland will be annoyed that they allowed England and Scotland in for some soft tries that flattered them in the end, and given that this championship could well come down to points difference, Easterby will be well-aware of that when heading to Cardiff.
With that in mind, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he does not make wholesale changes, and instead freshens up the team by making a few alternations. Such is Ireland’s strength in depth right now, Easterby can afford to mix things up without weakening his starting XV.
With leaders like Doris, Andrew Porter, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan to the fore, Ireland are in a great position, as their attention turns to the second-half of their quest for glory.
It will take a monumental upset for Wales to beat Ireland, but stranger things have happened, which is why they are not to be taken for granted, particularly at home, where there is the potential for a soccer-esque ‘new manager bounce’, as Cardiff boss Matt Sherratt takes over from Warren Gatland.
Ireland will then enjoy another weekend off leading into the crunch showdown with France, who will still be reeling from their surprise defeat at Twickenham. Les Bleus made so many uncharacteristic mistakes in their loss to England that it’s difficult to imagine them being as sloppy again when they rock up to Dublin, determined to ruin Ireland’s dream.
All roads then lead to Rome, where Ireland will take on Italy on March 15, hoping that their destiny remains firmly in their own hands on the final weekend.
The word on the street is that thousands of Irish supporters are planning to descend on the Eternal City for St Patrick’s weekend. If Ireland were to win a third Six Nations on the trot, and better still, do so by clinching the Grand Slam, the party in Rome promises to be pretty special.
Before anyone gets ahead of themselves though, there is the small matter of maintaining this great start by seeing off Wales and France, which will be no easy feat.
The path to glory has opened up. Now it’s all about Ireland going on to finish the job by making it a weekend to remember in the Italian capital.
