Lots of positives and a nagging negative
Reasons to be cheerful. The bonus-point victory. Individual performances, particularly those of Jack Conan, James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne, Rónan Kelleher, Stu McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale and Tom O’Toole (10 tackles, 100 per cent tackle rate) to highlight a handful of players who excelled for a variety of reasons. The impact of the bench. The lineout.
Ireland’s work out of touch was flawless, winning all their own ball, but Beirne and replacement Joe McCarthy pilfered two crucial balls. This set piece has been excellent in the tournament, a credit to Paul O’Connell and the players.
If there is one caveat it is that the lineout maul is perhaps an area that Ireland can exploit more as a mechanism to go forward and tie in defenders. It would give them an option to play off the back to nestle alongside their other launch plays, albeit acknowledging that the team is playing a lot of ball off the top that facilitates their patterns.
Scrum woes continue and require a fix
There is no getting away from the scrum woes. According to the official Six Nations stats Ireland have conceded 13 penalties in this facet of the game going into the Wales game and despite Irish loosehead prop O’Toole winning a brace, the visitors came out on top, especially with the arrival of Welsh loosehead Nicky Smith in the second half.
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The home side conceded two penalties and three free-kicks, one for the absence of a strike, which was harsh, and two for early engagement. There are mitigating factors in relation to changing and absent personnel – it’s necessary to develop depth – but it doesn’t fully explain the perennial struggle in the tournament.
The issues shouldn’t just be laid at the door of the props, given it’s a unit skill requiring all eight players to be attuned. But scrum coach John Fogarty is going to have to find a workable solution, one that may include more size added to the pack for the Scotland game.
Conan the destroyer shines yet again
Jack Conan may have worn six on his jersey and Caelan Doris eight, but when it came to scrum time they flipped over those roles with Conan anchored the middle of the backrow to carry off the Irish put-in and in the defensive scrums. His man-of-the-match performance was a continuation of a theme that’s run throughout the tournament from an Irish perspective.
Farrell’s rotation of the starting roles has been taken up in a positive manner, and it wasn’t just Conan, back in the team after illness, that excelled. Jacob Stockdale had a super game, especially in an attacking capacity. Nick Timoney was industrious and diligent on his first start.
The impact from the bench was pronounced, with Joe McCarthy and Josh van der Flier particularly prominent, while a word too for Nathan Doak on debut. He understood his role as a facilitator. Farrell faces some interesting selection dilemmas for Scotland, not least the composition of the back five in the pack.
Scotland give France a taste of their own medicine
Scotland were mightily impressive in the first 60 minutes of their win over France at Murrayfield. The way they picked apart France at their defensive seams was brilliant, a combination of talent, timing, accuracy and clever pregame analysis, especially for Kyle Steyn’s cutback try.
They never gave the visitors a moment’s respite, harassing and harrying France into mistakes, but they also had the courage to play off first phase and turnover ball, where they were lethal. In essence the Scots gave France a taste of their own medicine and it was only in the last 20 minutes that Fabien Galthié’s side were able to reciprocate from an attacking perspective.
They will have given Ireland a few clues, one of which is the manner the game changed when France brought on some beef up front and were more direct in their carrying before going wide and finishing four tries late on with intricate interplay. The Scots will be hoping Huw Jones and Steyn are fit to play next Saturday.
Under-20s dazzle as they put Wales to the sword
Ireland Under-20 head coach Andrew Browne, his coaching team, and the players deserve huge credit for the manner in which they overcame a 12-0 deficit to beat a good Welsh team 48-33 on Saturday night in Cork. In doing so they produced a quality of rugby that bears comparison with the best that Irish age-grade teams have mustered at this level.
The players have gradually grown into their rugby shape throughout the tournament after a tough start against France in Perpignan. And while there is still plenty to hone, principally in defence, their all-round game is a delight, and incorporates a variety of scoring methods, through the close-range power game or slicing through teams out wide.
The timing and accuracy of the passing – Tom Wood and Noah Byrne gave some lovely examples – created space which Daniel Ryan exploited beautifully but he will be the first to acknowledge the work of the pack as a collective, scrumhalf Christopher Barrett’s instincts and centres James O’Leary and Rob Carney, who both had super games.
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