Joe Schmidt’s attention to detail underpinned Irish success but Eddie Jones needs a Plan B
I’ve read about how it was meant to be for Ireland on St Patrick’s Day – but make no mistake, they earned their grand slam. They fully deserved it. The players, coaches and all the backroom staff are extremely comfortable with the game-plan, they have the best tactical half-backs in the world, a strong set-piece and a defensive system that Andy Farrell has improved no end. The thing that strikes me most is that their established players really get up for the big games, and on top of that, their youngsters – players like Jacob Stockdale – have flourished. My only question would be what happens when the tempo is raised. They are formidable when they control the structure of the game but do they have the same accuracy when the tempo is high? I don’t think they were tested like that during the Six Nations but they will be on the summer tour of Australia.
Related: Joy of Six Nations overshadows Spain’s pain and fears for the game | Robert Kitson
Continue reading...