“Trimble fly-hacks it. Easter dives on it, secures possession. But Ireland arrive in huge numbers, at pace, with power, in the right body positions and their appetite for this… well it looks like they haven’t eaten for months.”
Commentator Ryle Nugent pretty much caught the mood after 38 minutes of Saturday’s win over England.
The tournament ended in elation after preventing England’s Grand Slam and ensuring that nobody has won the Triple Crown since the Six Nations trophy also resided west of Holyhead.
So how do you rate Ireland’s campaign? We got there in the end? Lipstick on a pig?
A little of both probably, but it is worth remembering that Ireland only played two home games and in both of them they were outstanding, aside from the glut of penalties handed to Morgan Parra.
The common factor in those games was Jonny Sexton wearing the number 10 jersey. Ronan O’Gara was excellent whenever he took the field, particularly off the bench, but against England Sexton had the ‘wow’ factor.
He began with an audacious tap and go on his own 22. It seemed England had trickled back, but Sexton took the phrase ‘play what’s in front of you’ quite literally and spun the ball left.
Goal kicking can often be his Achilles heel, and after he nailed his second penalty of the day it was clear he was in the groove. Chris Ashton was eager to test his mettle but Leinster’s 10 scored with his next kick and was only narrowly wide from the attempt which followed Tommy Bowe’s try.
That was the only mark on young master Sexton’s copybook and it is more than forgivable considering his contribution to the touchdown itself.
As much as the try seemed a waterfall of momentum, finally breaking the white levee. It proved that Ireland have been sorely lacking a slice of luck or two throughout the Championship.
From the 22 metre drop out, Andrew Trimble seemed to knock on before Donncha O’Callaghan and Paul O’Connell began their shock and awe attack, slide tackling their way into the red zone. On another day, O’Callaghan then could have been pinged for a high tackle as he caught Foden during his clearance.
On another day, that would have meant an English penalty on halfway, but it was not this day. Trimble unleashed Jamie Heaslip who relished the contact. Had this been Croke Park, the GAA brigade would be claiming Sexton’s quick tap penalty as a stylish solo run, his relatives in Kerry would be proud. Hell, Séamus Moynihan would have been proud of that one.
For Ireland, that moment will be the enduring memory of this championship. In one fell swoop the conservative option of an easy three points was given the coldest of shoulders and the St Mary’s man went for the kill.
A reasonable goal for Ireland and Declan Kidney is a world cup quarter final this year, the man himself would never admit as such but that is the base grade. Anything less will mean we've gone backwards in four years and will open the door for another dreaded set of Genesis reports and ‘root and branch’ reviews.
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| Don't forget who went home with medals! |
The awful performance in Cardiff last week, coupled with a historic Italian win, made us all shift uncomfortably. Ireland face Italy in the final world cup group game and the formbook suggests we’ll be battling it out for second place in Group C.
However, instead of looking behind us and worrying, there is a scenario that a rising Azzuri tide will simultaneously lift our own boats.
Throughout the Eddie O’Sullivan era and again this year, we have learned the hard way that facing Italy first up is always a stern (not to mention bruising) examination. If, for a change, the Azzuri can channel their pent up aggression into the Australian pack rather than our own, then perhaps we could make hay against the Wallabies seven days later.
Before the 2007 World Cup, Ireland came within a dodgy TMO decision of winning the Six Nations after hammering Italy 51 -24 on match day five. The nation had no reason to believe it could not lift the Webb Ellis trophy, but everything went wrong.
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| Bullied in Bordeaux |
There will be some ghosts of ‘07 lurking around the camp between now and October. Not least a warm up game with France in the Stade Chaban Delmas where Georgia brought us to the brink. We also face a certain master tactician known as E O’Sullivan in our first group game.
Banish those ghosts and a first ever Semi-final could be the prize. However the hunger that Nugent spotted in Saturday’s first half cannot be allowed to wane. The numbers, pace, power and body positions will take care of themselves as long as the craving is within. Without it we are just four years older and four years fatter than the grief on the Garonne.
