Hype is a word seemingly not in the vocabulary of Andy Farrell, which is a pity as it would be great for the sport if he started playing up this mighty progress of Ireland with him at the helm. Two years ago he was accused of being asleep at the wheel. The Irish had lost to France in a dispiriting fashion in Dublin and the optics were concerning for the head coach just 10 games into his reign.
The attack was non-existent, assistant Mike Catt failing to make any strides forward. The defence, instructed by Simon Easterby, had multiple crossed wires. Even the pack was just muddling along, with forwards coach Paul O’Connell having only joined the management ticket.
That behind-closed-doors setback against the French left Ireland zero from two, a championship blank that hadn’t been experienced since 1998. Brian Ashton paid for that particular stalled start with his resignation, paving the way for a then-unknown Warren Gatland to pick up the pieces.
This time around, the coach wasn’t for budging and just look at the splendid flourish that has since materialised now that Farrell has finally got his head around head coaching and accepted that he needed to forge his own path and stop trying to reheat what he inherited from Joe Schmidt.
Nineteen wins in 21 games since then is an epic transformation. So too their world ranking trajectory from a desultory sixth to a much-deserved first. The assistants have been empowered, the players hugely upskilled, yet Farrell keeps playing it cool, refusing to cheerlead in a year where they are tipped to win the Six Nations and then achieve like never before at the World Cup.
Highlights from an ASTONISHING encounter between Ireland and France. #GuinnessSixNations | #IREvFRA pic.twitter.com/u2LsLHdfIz
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 11, 2023
Attacking the imagination
It’s said that defence wins championships but this Ireland team appears to be on a mission to show that attack is the most decisive ingredient. Their haul against the Welsh was more grunt than finesse, with three tries by the forwards coming from pick-and-go at the line to add to a James Lowe intercept.
The variety in their scores on Saturday, however, fired the imagination. Yes, there was still grunt evident in the Andrew Porter burrow, but the trick play from the goalline restart for the Hugo Keenan score, the acrobatics of Lowe at the corner, and the quick hands to put in Garry Ringrose for the clincher were all emblematic of an attack bustling with creativity.
“Lovely to see things like that pay off,” said Johnny Sexton about the sleight of Finlay Bealham hand trickery at the heart of the Keenan try. Rugby needs more and more of that captivating invention, examples that this sport can be played in so many attractive ways. As for the Lowe acrobatics, Sexton was flabbergasted – just like everyone else watching on.
“Incredible finish to jump at the right time and keep the ball under control. World-class. I’ve seen Keith Earls practice it in training with pads and stuff, I don’t think I have ever seen him [Lowe] practice but he does a lot of things that probably just come really naturally to him. He is a phenomenal player… I love playing with him, the energy he brings, the way he goes about his business.”
The shackles are now loosened, enabling him to look more polished, but his effort against the French was especially top-notch as it came just four days after his father was seriously injured in an accident.
To be able to shut out that distress and produce what he did in a direct head-to-head with Antoine Dupont was sublime and what Sexton had to say about him was fully deserved. “Unbelievable really, a mark of the character of the player.
“In my eyes, he has always been a class operator and has always been world-class in his position. He changed the game in many ways for scrum halves and yeah, just amazing that he could just show up and be so calm and put in the performance that he did.”
