On a day where anything seemed possible, there was mayhem which began
with Wales’ seven try second half blitz and ended with Yoann Huget’s mad
decision to tap-and-go on his own line with the clock in the red at Twickenham.
It was a fitting end to an exhilarating day of rugby that had us on the edge of
our seats all day and reaching for the calculators with every try that crossed
the whitewash. Just as the final round of the Six Nations should be.
For everybody campaigning for the final round of matches to all be
played at the same time, this was the perfect way of the Six Nations biting
back and saying no thanks. I don’t think it’s inaccurate to say that the
exciting and points-filled play we saw from Wales, Ireland and England (and, I
guess, France) wouldn’t have happened if each side were playing at the same
time and knew exactly what they needed to do.
Ireland were the worthy winners, even if it looked like they mightn’t
be. When the final whistle went at Murrayfield you thought that Ireland hadn’t
done enough to put themselves far enough ahead of England to keep themselves
atop the standings, and considering the inconsistency France had shown in the
previous four rounds it looked very likely that 26 points wasn’t going to be
nearly enough.
Jonathan Sexton and Ian Madigan are probably the most relieved
Irishmen alive.
Their missed kicks nearly cost Ireland the trophy altogether –
normally I would sympathise with them considering the pressure they were under,
but whenever you look at how young George Ford ignored the eyes of the world on
his back and slotted kick after kick at Twickenham, it begs the question of how
possibly the greatest fly-half currently on the planet and then one of the most
reliable kickers in the Pro12 managed to squander four kicks at goal that would
have put daylight between Ireland and England.
In the end, ironically Ireland were saved by England. Well, rather
England’s inability to defend. Maybe it was complacency, or maybe Stuart
Lancaster sent out his side with the ethos simply to score more than they
conceded. Whatever the reason, England managed to ship 35 points against a team
that was mediocre at best and as such they positively gifted Ireland the title.
We could go into plenty of ifs and buts regarding Saturday. What if
England had scored at the end? What if Stuart Hogg had managed to touch down
for a Scottish try late on in Edinburgh? What if Wales had hit form in the
first half as well as the second? Luckily for Ireland we aren’t dealing in ifs,
but it does highlight what little had to change over the course of the three
games for the title to slip from their grasp.
Nevertheless, the win sends out a real message to the southern
hemisphere giants – Ireland are not to be messed with. The Six Nations is a
revered tournament worldwide and successfully defending it is something that
raise plenty of eyebrows in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, and ahead
of the World Cup that puts a big target on Ireland’s head. With a relatively
straightforward pool for Ireland to negotiate as well it means Joe Schmidt’s
side will be one of the teams to beat come the knock-out stages.
England and Wales won’t be too far behind either, although there is
the possibility that one of them will be knocked out at the pool stage – they will
be fighting out with Australia in the “Pool of Death” for two quarter-final
spots. And the fact that they both ran Ireland so closely over the course of
the competition will also get the attention of the southern hemisphere teams,
Australia especially.
Will Joe Schmidt mind that his team missed out on the Grand Slam?
Probably a bit considering the position they were in going into the final two
games, however the relief he will have felt after the final whistle at
Twickenham on Saturday will have banished any sort of disappointment he felt
from Cardiff a week before. The Grand Slam is a fantastic bonus if you can
manage it, but what Schmidt will be happier with is the fact that Ireland are
once again European champions and the team to beat from the north.
In a World Cup year, there’s not much more you can ask for.
And a massive congratulations to Ireland’s Women as well for making it
a double and winning the Women’s Six Nations with a crushing defeat of Scotland
Women sealing the deal!
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