Winners all right, and now assuredly the most successful Irish team of the professional era – or any other one, for that matter – even allowing for the three titles and Grand Slam from the 1948-51 generation.
The final table tells no lies and Ireland were so good they even finished with 26 points out of a possible 28, picking up the additional three bonus points that came with winning all five matches, as well as one bonus point apiece in their three home wins.
But beating Italy, Scotland and Wales at home since five became the Six Nations is one thing, for that has happened several times before, while always being accompanied by a defeat in Paris and/or London. Beating France and England away in the same season is another, and until this St Patrick's Day of days, had only been achieved twice before in history: once by the 1948 Grand Slam team, and again in 1972.
That, therefore, has to be rated the best of the three Slams, and, taken in tandem with the title successes of 2014 and 2015, this can be considered the most successful Irish squad ever, all the more so when one adds in a first-ever victory over the All Blacks as well as wins over Australia and away to South Africa in the same time span.
Ireland's win in Twickenham over the back-to-back champions cements their deserved status as the 2018 NatWest Six Nations Grand Slam champions and as the second-ranked side in the world behind only the world champions from New Zealand. Were the World Cup starting tomorrow, Ireland would be second favourites. In fact, they have already been installed as 7/2 second favourites.
That almost seems a little crazy.
They're a machine, sprinkled with truly world-class players in Tadhg Furlong, Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton, and with no weak links in the chain.
When this reporter asked Joe Schmidt a year out from the 2015 World Cup which of the young tyros might break into the squad, he named Furlong. He only made one appearance off the bench in that tournament, against Romania, but at 24 he is now world-class, whether anchoring the scrum, tackling, making those bullocking runs or distributing the ball. That round-the-back pass for Bundee Aki on Saturday would be a credit to any out-half or centre in test rugby.
When one of Murray’s passes missed his intended target on Saturday, there were gasps of astonishment. Oh yeah, he’s human. Murray has been consistently excellent in all his basics, and way more besides, whether scoring tries, creating tries as when freeing Stockdale up the blindside, filling in along the defensive line. Shoot, he even wins line-outs and kicks penalties.
Clutch moments
And then there is Sexton. As he did in all three Heineken Cup wins with Leinster, notably in the second-half comeback against Northampton, and as he did for the 2014 title win in Paris with his two tries and in the finale at Murrayfield a year later, so he did again in both the Stade de France and Twickenham on Saturday. Sexton delivered in the clutch moments, and in spades. And he's done it for the Lions on two successive test series too, and in the win over the All Blacks in Chicago.
The core of the team has largely stayed the same, with the likes of Rory Best (who has played all 20 games in Ireland's four titles since 2009), Devin Toner, CJ Stander, Conor Murray, Johnny Sexton and Rob Kearney (who has started all 20 games in these four title successes).
Best, Murray and Kearney have started every game in the last three title successes, Toner has also been an ever-present (last Saturday was just his second off the bench), as have Jack McGrath and Sean Cronin (all 15 off the bench), while O'Mahony and Sexton have started all but one, and Cian Healy and Iain Henderson have also played in all but one.
But elsewhere, players have been replaced seamlessly, thanks to a remarkable infusion of young, relatively inexperienced but ready-made internationals. For the free-scoring Jacob Stockdale (now 11 tries in test rugby), Bundee Aki (seven tests), James Ryan (eight), Dan Leavy (nine, and allowing for his Six Nations debut off the bench against England in the final game a year ago), Andrew Porter (seven), Joey Carbery (10) and Jordan Larmour (three), this has been their rookie Six Nations campaign.
All of them simply don’t know yet what it’s like to lose.
Everyone knows their roles inside out. Their scrum has been rock solid, so too their lineout and maul, but, typical of a side coached by Joe Schmidt, it is their breakdown work which sets them apart, consistently averaging more than a 95 per cent return in every game. The first two men in to support invariably effect clean-outs, and if there’s any threat a third or fourth man usually spots the danger of a turnover and ensures the recycle.
A great group defined by a great work ethic, they are setting their own standards, by pushing and challenging each other. This all emanates from the uber-demanding Schmidt, masterminding it all, in tandem with Andy Farrell, Simon Easterby, Greg Feek and Richie Murphy. You wouldn't swap that coaching ticket for any other one around.
Attention to detail
Accordingly, whatever 15 are on the pitch, their work-rate, like their attention to detail, is unstinting. With Murray and Sexton pulling the strings, they are a canny, shrewd team. The way they silenced the crowd at Twickenham on Saturday in the opening quarter was testimony to this.
Even without the additional three-point bonus, they accrued 23 out of a possible 25 points, and would have won the title by eight clear points. In the week of 17 Irish winners at Cheltenham, Ireland won pulling away up the hill. Their tally of 20 tries eclipses by three the previous by any Irish team in the history of the championship.
They seize the moments every bit as opportunistically as the heroes of 2009, and perhaps even more so. After they scored a try in first-half overtime against Wales through Bundee Aki, you almost knew from the moment James Ryan seized an overthrow against Scotland that a try would eventually follow, and sure enough, it did, from Jacob Stockdale. And no one has been seizing the moment better than the 21-year-old Ulster winger.
Sure enough, when Murray brilliantly released him up the left on Saturday with the clock past 40 and in the red zone, Stockdale chipped Mike Brown, kneed the ball on and just reached it to touch down with his left hand before the end line, which had been moved back at the behest of Eddie Jones. Ireland had scored in first-half overtime for the third game running.
They also scored tries five minutes either side of the interval against Italy, five minutes into the second half against Wales through Dan Leavy, and six minutes into the second half against Scotland through Murray. That’s seven tries in the five or six minutes either side of half-time. Throw in penalties by Sexton five minutes either side of half-time in Paris, and Ireland have scored 58 points to nil in what are known as Championship minutes. Champions all right.
As important on Saturday was holding England out in the first 10 minutes of the second period when they camped in the Irish 22, before Murray kicked a penalty on the hour. It was the only half of 10 in the Championship where Ireland had less possession and territory. That third quarter typified their resistance on the day, for although they conceded three tries for the third time, they reserved their best defensive display for Andy Farrell on his return to Twickenham.
They strangle teams, more often than not, from the front, albeit that final nine extended minutes in Paris stretched them to breaking point like no other time in the tournament, and could have de-railed their Slam hopes at the opening hurdle.
From the moment Henderson reclaimed Sexton’s 22-metre, to the out-half’s drop goal 41 phases later in the third minute of overtime, was the making of them and this Slam.
‘Resilience’
Asked what made him most proud of this group at Twickenham on Saturday night, Schmidt said: "I think it's probably their resilience. I felt that we were really struggling in France in that last eight minutes when Teddy Thomas scored. That's tough when you've controlled the game and missed a kick to go 15-6 up to make the game safe. And suddenly you're 13-12 down. To show the steel that they did, to show the commitment and just plain ordinary rugby ability, to keep the ball, to connect up, to win ball in the air, and then the exceptional ability Johnny has to put the ball between the uprights, finished it off.
“As frustrating as it was when Wales got back close to us after we had a 14-point lead, again, it never really felt like we would give that up. For Jacob to race away and score at the end, Jacob was totally in control of the edge of the defence.
“And that eight minutes after half time [on Saturday] sums up this team. Yes, they can put together some really good moments and score tries. We probably totalled more than we’ve ever scored in a Six Nations. They delivered on that side, but that pure resilience, that ability to get back up and get back in the defensive line to protect that try-line in the eight minutes after half-time, was exceptional.”
That endgame against France was the only time they were behind in Paris, and thereafter they were only ever behind for 34 minutes: for 25 minutes of the first half against Wales and nine minutes in the first quarter against Scotland. Furthermore, they were only level on the scoreboard for 32 minutes, whereas they led for 329 minutes in their five games, give or take.
At Twickenham, they led from the fifth minute, and remained two scores or more ahead from the 24th, thus completing Ireland’s biggest win at Twickenham since the 18-5 win of 1964. As Ronan O’Gara observed, it was so easy it was almost an anti-climactic finale.
Never in doubt. In the end, it was something of a bloodless coup. They’re that bloody good.
