Oh we of little faith. Whatever about the gloomy noise outside the squad ahead of the England game, the belief within never wavered, even in the wake of that heavy loss on opening night of the Six Nations in Paris.
Granted, Ireland scored some good tries and rolled up their sleeves to deny Italy a draw. Once again on Sunday, not much luck went the Azzurri’s way, but they’re a good side now and the Irish players and coaches took momentum from that win to London.
From the very beginning at Twickenham, it was clear Ireland believed they had a big performance coming. Explaining why this was so, Garry Ringrose said: “We work hard and commit to what we’re doing and the coaches put in a plan, but then the players try and own a bit of the plan as well and drive it on. So the belief is there.
“After the French game, I remember doing a media thing with Virgin and they were kind of questioning belief, which was kind of unusual because I know maybe the result wasn’t there, but the belief is always there.
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“It’s such an honour and privilege to play for Ireland and it comes with pressure, but that’s the nature of the beast and that wasn’t any different [last week].”
Ringrose highlighted the importance of those early defensive sets in giving the team the momentum to play some superb attacking rugby and score five tries; the three in the first-half demonstrating a willingness to both strike from deep and in transition, something Andy Farrell highlighted several times afterwards.
“I guess for us, maybe [we’re] trying not to look back, to try and recreate something,” said Ringrose, rejecting the notion that this was a repeat of 2022/23.
“There’s a standard the coaches drive for us, a level that we want to perform at . . . I guess we did kind of [get] closer to that [against England] than we had the previous two weeks.”
Ireland pull off one of the great Twickenham days against England
Farrell recalled a quartet of Lions, aged 32 to 34, to the starting XV. All four have big-game mentalities and they all showed there’s life in the old dogs yet.
“I’m still hanging on as one of the young lads thankfully,” said Ringrose with a laugh. “But yeah, a few of the lads were great. Even, say, someone like Stu (McCloskey), his journey, it’s class to see him going as well as he is.
“For him, the belief has always been there. The players trust and believe in him and he’s delivering on it as well. For me, it’s class to play alongside him. Any of the two centres that go out are representing the wider group. We work closely and he’s certainly leading from the front.”
For Ireland, no player rose to the occasion more than Jamison Gibson-Park. He was a constant menace to the English defence, scoring the first try and creating the second.
“He was brilliant and he’s a joy for all of us to play with,” said Leinster man Ringrose. “Similarly, as I say with the centre units, the half-backs work closely together and they’re always meeting and discussing. Whoever the two [are] that go out, they are trying to perform at a level that we’re all proud of.”
Even Ringrose was a little taken aback by the scale of the Irish support for this record 42-21 win.
“It’s funny, not that you forget about it but I find it’s only when you’re on the bus on the way in and you’re seeing loads of green jerseys and you’re kind of reminded about the quality of support.
“That was the case driving in on the bus, seeing so many green jerseys. Then for the anthem, there’s a proper noise to it and when things were going well, they were getting behind us so you could feel it and we definitely appreciate it.
“I see people who live here but then people who would have travelled over as well and for us to create special moments for them is pretty cool.”
Now 31, Ringrose is competing in his tenth Six Nations. He appreciates the vagaries and potential fickleness of the championship
“It’s the beauty of the Six Nations. Even talking to the England lads, how quick things can shift in two weeks. We were in a tough spot after losing to France, they were in a great spot after continuing their winning ways against Wales and in two weeks the different things shift.
“So that’s the challenge, to front up and try and put in a performance. That’s where the performance comes from; it’s our preparation. So, that’ll be the focus for the next two weeks.”
