Iain Henderson watch proved a fruitful expedition. Can Ireland afford not to have him on the field in those final moments against France now that it's clearly established they must start with him?
"With Iain, he's always been a super athlete, but he is starting to match his athleticism with his understanding," said Joe Schmidt of his young locking machine. "That allows him to deliver on more of the elements of the game. I think his lineout understanding has improved, he has the ability to add value at scrum time and obviously is as visible as a ball carrier and defensively as he is capable of physically stopping people. He is pretty keen to keep adding value and we are pretty keen that he does."
Occasionally outplayed by Paul O’Connell, Peter O’Mahony, Sean O’Brien and even Rory Best, it’s Henderson’s presence and form of late that perhaps inspired the officers, these self-motivating giants, to reach heights of controlled ferocity.
O’Mahony has certainly, definitively, with this belting performance, shooed the young wolf from his blindside flank. Unless that 68-minute shoulder damage proves fatal to his availability next Sunday in Cardiff.
Chris Henry was already in for O’Brien, so O’Mahony wouldn’t leave the field. Jerome Garces sin-binned him three minutes later for charging a ruck with the shoulder (which was evidently fine).
“You charged here, on the neck and head,” said the finicky Frenchman.
"It was on the shoulder," the Munster captain implored.
“It’s a yellow card.”
Gone. 14 men for a nervy endgame.
“It’s what they [referees] are looking for,” said Schmidt. “If you look hard enough, you will find something. It just means you’ve got to be whiter than white.”
O’Brien, Best, Henderson were also gone, but Ireland eventually glided home.
“The lads who came on are more than capable of closing out the game,” said O’Brien. “There were no negative thoughts going through my head at that stage.”
Positives
Of Toner replacing Henderson on 66 minutes, Schmidt accentuated the positives. “Dev got immediately involved. He got to a wide ruck, that drop out 22 he needed to take so he added those dimensions to us.”
But Henderson has something no other Irish player has. Simone Favaro was buried in the ground without a coffin a mere three minutes into this latest meshing of understanding and athleticism.
The first Henderson rumble on six minutes saw him shifted sideways; the next one he went backwards as winger Leonardo Sarto’s technique was perfect.
The third carry, into Favaro, breached the blue line for an important metre gained.
After some ruck cleaning, he found himself in the outside centre channel against Michele Campagnaro. Seriously bad news for the other seven Irish forwards. Not Henderson. Campagnaro was rag-dolled towards the touchline and flung the ball away.
The first genuine power play came on 16 minutes when Sergio Parisse carried into the warm embrace of an Ulster lock and hooker. Mike Ross arrived as the Italian captain was choked. Ireland scrum. Play went into the Italian 22 and O'Mahony stole a lineout that promised a try as soon as O'Connell shunted Henderson deeper into blue territory.
Deft Johnny Sexton hands and a Robbie Henshaw carry and offload put Keith Earls over, but the try was made by Henderson and Jamie Heaslip's carries and O'Connell's cleanout.
One black mark: Henderson coughed up a kickable Italy penalty on 26 minutes. He was the secondary tackler and didn't release.
When Sexton’s half-hour penalty came off the post, Henderson was the first forward to the ruck after Tommy Bowe dashed up. Secondary tackler.
Tackles low. Tackles high. Rucks. Carrying blind. Getting nailed. More rucks. Goes for a wee break. Comes back to carry, step, present before shooting out of the line to block Tommaso Allan’s attempted relieving kick, the bounce evades his grasp (and a certain try) as Allan scampers back only to be brutally embraced and driven towards his own line in Stephen Ferris/Will Genia-like fashion.
Try-saving tackle
Another carry, another near-block, moments before O’Mahony’s try-saving tackle on Josh Furno.
But Italian pressures saw Allan’s third penalty make it 10-9 with 52 minutes played. Without any warning, Ireland were staring down the barrel of possible disaster. Elimination.
Henderson made one of several big, direct yard gains as the temperature rose (from the steam coming off O’Connell’s head alone). Henderson carried again before Sexton provided breathing space with penalty and penalty to make it 16-9.
Henderson then produced a herculean turnover to stop the latest Italian raid. Another bruising, full-frontal hit on Davide Giazzon plugged another hole, but the Azzurri kept seeping through.
That O'Mahony tackle felt more important. Then, in what one international leaving the ground felt an unnecessary decision, Henderson and O'Brien were replaced. Chris Henry and Devin Toner arrived as both contributed to survival.
Then O’Mahony was lost and Ireland had 14 men for nine long minutes. “You’re wrong,” O’Connell was heard telling Garces following a difficult evening for both captains and referee.
Schmidt was right about Toner, who put in a massive hit on Furno in the 80th minute. Heaslip came up with the ball. Ireland carried and carried, and eventually Sexton booted it out.
