THE SEARCH FOR precious match tickets this week has been reminiscent of the scrabbling to find Willy Wonka’s Golden Tickets. Some of Ireland’s players even had to turn their phones off to keep the distraction at bay.
So count yourself lucky if you’re one of the 51,711 people who get to be there for what promises to be one of the greatest days in Irish rugby history. A Grand Slam chance in Dublin against England on St Patrick’s weekend? The stuff of dreams.
Win against the English this evening [KO 5pm, Virgin Media] and Andy Farrell’s side will claim this country’s fourth Slam. They’re overwhelming favourites to do it. No one has given England a chance this week.
It has been a tough time for the English in the wake of last weekend’s 53-10 hammering at the hands of France in Twickenham. A miserable week of reviews concluded yesterday with ex-England number eight Nick Easter revealing he had spoken to some of the French players, who were “astounded by the lack of physicality” in the English pack.
“This is the smallest, least physical forward pack I have ever seen in England,” Easter told the Telegraph as he concluded that Steve Borthwick’s team is “embarrassing to watch.” Scathing stuff.
Ex-England boss Eddie Jones piled in too, suggesting on his podcast that Borthwick may have been influenced by the RFU when he picked Marcus Smith at out-half ahead of his captain, Owen Farrell, to start the game against the French. Whatever the reality of that situation, it was a curious selection early in Borthwick’s tenure.
The widespread criticism could serve to inspire England today, perhaps, but the reality is that they are not as good a team as this Ireland one. The English probably aren’t quite as bad as has been suggested in some quarters, but Ireland have earned their 16-point favouritism through their brilliance since 20 March 2021.
That was the day that the Farrell era really took off. Everything started to click in a 32-18 win over the English in Dublin. Ireland carried that form on into a stunning November campaign and they’ve never looked back.
Farrell’s team have a good habit of making games about themselves, so the English woes haven’t been of huge concern. They do their homework for sure, but Farrell’s men don’t obsess about what the opposition might do. They have total belief that if they nail their decision-making, they will win.
In their coaches’ meetings, Farrell, Paul O’Connell, Mike Catt, Simon Easterby, and John Fogarty will have discussed how England are likely to kick often, tackle ferociously, and hammer the defensive breakdown. They’ll have mapped out how the forecast rain up until mid-afternoon could shape the game.
But the Irish brains trust also appreciate that if Ireland play as well as they can, England won’t be able to match them.
Ireland have a better attack, defence, set-piece, and kicking game than England, as well as having a better matchday 23. And that’s even without the injured Garry Ringrose, Iain Henderson, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Beirne, and Finlay Bealham.
Despite three changes to the starting XV, this is a settled-looking Ireland team. Fit-again Robbie Henshaw comes into a proven midfield combination alongside Bundee Aki, the phenomenally athletic Ryan Baird has earned a start in the second row, and Jamison Gibson-Park injects vision and pace at scrum-half.
The likes of Hugo Keenan, James Ryan, Caelan Doris, Mack Hansen, and James Lowe have claims as the player of the Six Nations, with a few more Irishmen close behind. This is an Irish side packed with players in peak form and looking like there’s still more left in the tank even after a six-day turnaround following last weekend’s win over Scotland.
England have restored captain Farrell and should be better for it but there are far more question marks over their side. Can young scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet bounce back from a tough day against the French? Is Alex Dombrandt a top-tier Test number eight? Can Ireland’s old nemesis, Manu Tuilagi, roll back the years?
There are several players in this English team who have been world beaters in the not-so-distant past, Tuilagi among them. But we haven’t seen the best of the likes of Maro Itoje, Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, and even Farrell on a consistent basis for a couple of seasons now.
England will obviously be fired up to spoil the party but it’s not like Ireland are short of motivation. The Grand Slam chance, Johnny Sexton’s final Six Nations appearance, a 50th cap for Josh van der Flier, and doing it for the injured men who miss out.
Indeed, the challenge for Farrell, his assistants, and high performance expert Gary Keegan this week has probably been ensuring it doesn’t boil over. The vibes from Ireland camp in recent days have been calm and relaxed. Having all their families in for yesterday’s captain’s run was just one of the nice touches in that regard.
It’s hard to think how the build-up could have been any better for Ireland. Now Farrell wants his players to go and attack this opportunity with clear-headed poise and intent.
This team’s journey doesn’t end here, but it will be a glorious evening if Ireland take their chance.
Ireland:
- 15. Hugo Keenan
- 14. Mack Hansen
- 13. Robbie Henshaw
- 12. Bundee Aki
- 11. James Lowe
- 10. Johnny Sexton (captain)
- 9. Jamison Gibson-Park
- 1. Andrew Porter
- 2. Dan Sheehan
- 3. Tadhg Furlong
- 4. Ryan Baird
- 5. James Ryan
- 6. Peter O’Mahony
- 7. Josh van der Flier
- 8. Caelan Doris
Replacements:
- 16. Rob Herring
- 17. Cian Healy
- 18. Tom O’Toole
- 19. Kieran Treadwell
- 20. Jack Conan
- 21. Conor Murray
- 22. Ross Byrne
- 23. Jimmy O’Brien
England:
- 15. Freddie Steward
- 14. Anthony Watson
- 13. Henry Slade
- 12. Manu Tuilagi
- 11. Henry Arundell
- 10. Owen Farrell (captain)
- 9. Jack van Poortvliet
- 1. Ellis Genge
- 2. Jamie George
- 3. Kyle Sinckler
- 4. Maro Itoje
- 5. David Ribbans
- 6. Lewis Ludlam
- 7. Jack Willis
- 8. Alex Dombrandt
Replacements:
- 16. Jack Walker
- 17. Mako Vunipola
- 18. Dan Cole
- 19. Nick Isiekwe
- 20. Ben Curry
- 21. Alex Mitchell
- 22. Marcus Smith
- 23. Joe Marchant
Referee: Jaco Peyper [SARU].
