EVEN THOUGH ANDY FARRELL described parts of Sunday’s dominant six-try defeat of Italy as “clunky”, the Ireland head coach didn’t look too stressed as he went through his post-match duties.
With the opening two rounds of Six Nations fixtures out of the way things have been running remarkably smoothly for Ireland. Farrell’s team sit top of the table having taken maximum points from the games against France and Italy. England, who have laboured past Italy and Wales, remain the only other team unbeaten in the tournament.
Two games is a small sample size, but from what we’ve seen so far Ireland look a cut above the competition. A Grand Slam has never looked more achievable.
Farrell has much to be pleased about, but one of the most impressive aspects of their opening two games has been the cohesion and accuracy of Ireland’s attack. Given Johnny Sexton is no longer pulling the strings at 10, to see Ireland’s attacking systems continue to function at such a high level must be deeply satisfying for the Ireland coaches.
Much of this is down to an improved return at the lineout. Ireland have been 100% off their own throw across the opening two rounds and in Marseille, the lineout proved the source of all five tries.
Against Italy Farrell’s side proved more productive in open play, with their offloading game leaving Gonzalo Quesada’s men in knots throughout. The handling of Jack Crowley, Robbie Henshaw and Stuart McCloskey in particular stood out.
So far Ireland have scored 11 tries, with Wales next-best on six. Ireland’s return of 74 points in total is also comfortably clear of the chasing pack, with England and Scotland both scoring 43 points so far.
Ireland’s attack has been exciting to watch but Farrell might be even more pleased with their defensive effort. The shut-out against Italy represented the first time Ireland have nilled a team in the Five or Six Nations since 1987 [England] and having conceded just two tries in France, their defensive record in the competition remains highly impressive – Ireland have conceded just 12 tries across their last 12 outings in the Six Nations.
The metrics are all trending in the right directions and central to those efforts have been two emerging stars.
Crowley must surely have felt some pressure in stepping into Sexton’s boots but the Munster out-half is flourishing as the main man, so much so that the former Ireland captain’s absence has rarely been mentioned. Compare that to France, who look a different team without Antoine Dupont dictating things.
Crowley is playing with ambition and intent and his delicate attacking touches are both easy on the eye and difficult to defend.
While his three missed conversions on Sunday will have been a point of frustration, Crowley is generally reliable off the tee so it should be no major concern for now.
Given the authority and composure he’s brought to the team – on what were just his fourth and fifth Test starts – things could hardly being going better for Ireland’s new leading man.
And as Crowley’s performances have eased any concerns around life after Sexton, Joe McCarthy’s rise to prominence has added real edge to Ireland’s pack.
The 22-year-old lock was a sensation in France, marking his first Six Nations start with an authoritative performance that made him the hottest young prospect in Irish Rugby.
A week later McCarthy backed that up with a big defensive display against Italy, his aggression and linespeed coming to the fore as he smothered out-half Paolo Garbisi.
In a highly competitive second row, where Tadhg Beirne, Iain Henderson and James Ryan are also pushing for inclusion, McCarthy has already cemented his place in the team.
Both players have brought real quality in a team which hasn’t lost any of the momentum that made them one of the favourites for last year’s World Cup.
While France seem beaten by their own World Cup disappointment and the other nations struggle for consistency, Ireland look energised by the opportunity to win a title again and have a spread of talent in some of the best form of their careers. Hugo Keenan, Bundee Aki, Jamison Gibson-Park, Dan Sheehan and Caelan Doris are all among the best players in the world in their positions – and we’re probably being harsh in not including a few others on that list.
Farrell will also have been pleased with how others have stepped up. Calvin Nash has deputised well for Mack Hansen on the wing, scoring tries in both games, while Ryan Baird, Finlay Bealham and Stuart McCloskey – three players who have performed well under Farrell – all took their chances again against Italy.
It follows the long trend of players slotting seamlessly into Farrell’s Ireland system. Even if players have been out injured, playing for provinces out of form or just low on minutes, Farrell often backs them to step up and perform for Ireland. Those calls tend to work out on the vast majority of occasions.
Ireland now have a down week but the only real worry ahead of the home game with Wales on 24 February centres around the small group of players nursing injuries. Farrell hopes to have Aki, Peter O’Mahony, Tadhg Furlong and Garry Ringrose all back training this week while there should be an update on Keenan’s knee injury later this week.
It’s a decent place to be considering the fortunes of the chasing pack. France have looked disinterested against Ireland and France and could unravel in the weeks ahead. England remain blunt in attack and struggled for large parts against Italy and Wales. Scotland almost threw away a 27-point lead against Wales, who themselves are in a transitional period, while Italy still have much ground to make up under new coach Gonzalo Quesada.
Overall, there is very little to give Farrell cause for concern as games against Wales [home], England [away] and Scotland [home] stand between Ireland and an historic back-to-back Grand Slam success.
