IRELAND WERE NEVER going to learn a huge amount from their World Cup opener against Romania but if it wasn’t clear beforehand, this squad’s hopes of creating history in France rest largely on the fitness and form of a 38-year-old entering the final weeks of his career.
After five long months and 22 days, Johnny Sexton returned to action as Ireland kicked off their World Cup campaign with an 82-8 defeat of Romania under the sweltering Bordeaux sun, and after his suspension-enforced summer on the sidelines, it looked like he’d never been away.
Of course, everything about Ireland’s performance today comes with a big fat asterisk. Romania are ranked 19th in the world and are the third-lowest ranked side at the World Cup. Ireland won’t have the same time and space on the ball when they take on Tonga next Saturday, let alone the Springboks and Scotland in the weeks ahead.
Still, Andy Farrell will have been reassured to see Sexton hit the ground running on his return to the team following such a lengthy layoff, with a groin injury sustained against England in March followed by a three-game ban for his angry outburst at the Champions Cup final in May.
It would have been understandable if Sexton looked a little rusty against Romania but as it happened, he was one of Ireland’s brightest performers on a thankfully stress-free day in Bordeaux.
This is a squad bursting with talent but it is quite remarkable that no player is more important to Ireland’s hopes of creating history in France than a 38-year-old preparing to hang up his boots.
Jack Crowley and Ross Byrne are able deputies but the simple fact is that Ireland’s attack runs far more smoothly when Sexton plays.
Not that it was picture perfect for the Ireland captain – after a lengthy passage of kick-tennis in the opening minutes, Sexton attempted to play in Keith Earls with a grubber from deep that never really looked on. Hinckley Vaovasa scooped up the ball and played in scrum-half Gabriel Rupanu, who ran the ball home to hand Romania a shock early lead.
From there, Ireland and Sexton settled, and before long their attack was purring with the out-half at his influential best – playing square, running straight and luring defenders in before moving the ball on at the last moment.
It took just two minutes for Ireland to respond to that opening Romania score; Jamison Gibson-Park finishing a fine move that was kick-started by Sexton doing what he does best – drawing in centre Jason Tomane and delaying his pass before releasing Bundee Aki. The Connacht man found Ringrose and in a flash, Gibson-Park was running in Ireland’s opening try.
With Sexton directing matters and displaying nice variety with his passing, Ireland always looked capable of carving a limited Romania side open.
He was heavily involved again when Hugo Keenan added Ireland’s second, showing quick hands inside to Peter O’Mahony before James Ryan burst forward and set-up Keenan, who did well to finish under pressure.
He was there again in the build-up to Tadhg Beirne’s score on 17 minutes, holding his pass as Keenan burst forward before slinging the ball back out to Lowe.
When Ireland’s multi-phase attack clicked into place, Romania simply couldn’t live with their speed and accuracy.
Ireland will have been frustrated not to have converted more of their scoring opportunities in the opening 40 but Sexton capped a fine first-half display with a try of his own, running in under the posts with the last action of the half – a bang to his left hand thankfully turning out to be nothing more than a stinger.
There may have some temptation to take Sexton off at the break but with his hand not a concern, he was sent out to get another 16 minutes in his legs.
After the break, he even got the chance to showcase his defensive capabilities with an important tackle on the rampaging Vaovasa, before throwing himself over the line from close range to score Ireland’s eighth just after the hour mark, adding the conversion to bring his tally for the day to a record-equalling 24 points. With the game long won they were important contributions, leading the charge as others around him began to fade.
When he was finally called ashore on 65 minutes, he did so to a standing ovation. This is Sexton’s fourth World Cup but never has an Ireland team looked better placed to go all the way.
Nobody will be getting carried away just yet, but today Sexton was instrumental to helping clear the first hurdle in impressive fashion. The next two months could yet prove to be the biggest days of his career.
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