That’s a Triple Crown I’d like to celebrate. I know Irish rugby is chasing Grand Slams and Six Nations titles these days but I think there is some serious merit to this team’s performance this campaign and a little silver is the least they deserve.
They took maximum points in all three games against Wales, England and Scotland. They played a lot of excellent rugby and led France to the end. I don’t think you can ask for much more. Players and management were therefore allowed to celebrate the Triple Crown on Saturday evening. It was good work.
Can’t say they were at their best at Aviva Stadium, but they dug up the bonus point win on death. It may be a cliché but it’s still true to say that being put to the test by a strong opponent is a sign that a very good team is achieving the desired result.
And Scotland was tough on Saturday. They picked a team that fought really hard on the breakdown and disrupted Ireland’s flow. That was the plan and it worked for a long time. They made it really difficult for Ireland. They were sticky and persistent, turning it into a pretty ragged game. Ireland showed their class in patches but they couldn’t keep it up. They couldn’t keep it up.
I never felt Ireland would lose that game, I always felt they would change gears. Scotland had most of the ball and territory in the first quarter and yet it was Ireland who ended up scoring the first try. That was indicative of the class difference that was there all along.
We didn’t often see Ireland in top form but the gear was there nonetheless. They just lacked accuracy in attacking play. They struggled for the continuity and fluency they are capable of because the passes went astray or the handling sometimes let them down. Overall, however, they seemed to have a lot more firepower in the future.
That being said, if Scotland had used their nine minutes in the second half, who knows what might have happened. Stuart Hogg just made the wrong decision.
He had support runners in him lining up for the pass and it was an attempt to score. It was a huge disappointment for Ireland, although Hugo Keenan has to be commended for his fantastic tackle against Hogg. A Scottish try and changeover at that point would have put them just two points down and the wind in their sails.
Wayne Barnes went to the TMO to watch the Pierre Schoeman incident in the same game sequence. I felt like Barnes got it right.
As I listened to him explain why he wasn’t punishing Schoeman, I nodded in agreement. I had the feeling that the referee showed his feeling for the game in this situation. Of course, we have to keep safety in mind at all times, but there also needs to be some understanding of how players make split-second decisions in the heat of the moment.
Josh van der Flier celebrates after Ireland’s win over Scotland. Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Josh van der Flier celebrates after Ireland’s win over Scotland. Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Because Hogg didn’t take that opportunity, most of the crucial quarter was on the scoreboard after halftime. Ireland ended up exerting the most pressure, but here they weren’t quite clinical enough.
Johnny Sexton went in the corner with a couple of penalties, Scotland stole an alley and the next time around a pass was dropped when it looked like we were about to score. So it got a bit frustrating but then Josh van der Flier finally fell after an hour and that took a lot of the pressure off.
In fairness Scotland fought on. Josh’s attempt didn’t open the floodgates because his opponents kept making it difficult for him. The crowd wanted Ireland to make that fourth attempt, but it was a long time coming.
They had to fight for it, they had to earn it. I think they showed a lot of patience and perseverance in pursuing it and eventually Conor Murray got the job done. He did a brilliant job of turning and pivoting through the tackles and getting the ball down.
In the end, Ireland did whatever was asked of them. There really wasn’t much more they could do to keep up the pressure on France in last night’s final game.
It wasn’t always pretty, but it shouldn’t be pretty. You are supposed to do what is asked of you and the Irish players have done that.
Ireland ended their Six Nations season in very good shape for the summer and next season as well. We have a lot of players in good form, like Doris and Sheehan and Van der Flier, Keenan and Gibson Park. There is also a lot of power in the depths.
Overall it looks like a happy camp, you can see the players enjoying their rugby and enjoying the regime under Andy Farrell and his coaching staff.
They also had some silverware to enjoy last night and I hope they celebrated well because they deserved it.
There will be quite a long hiatus now before they meet again, but I imagine they will all be looking forward to getting back to camp and picking up where they left off last night over the summer. It’s onward and upward for this Ireland squad.
https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/six-nations/this-ireland-side-thoroughly-deserve-their-triple-crown-silverware-41466610.html Six Nations: Rory Best – “This Irish team fully deserved their Triple Crown silver medal”
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