Ireland are building momentum for next year’s tournament and their form over the last six months suggests they will be a factorCohesion became a buzzword recently after a certain opposition coach used it while talking up Ireland. For all that Scotland exploded out of the traps on Saturday, it was the inner workings of Ireland’s system that proved more durable. Ultimately, a third straight bonus-point win could not prevent France from claiming the title.“There’s so much more left in us,” said the Ireland captain Johnny Sexton, looking forward to next year’s World Cup. “We’re going to have be a lot better over the next year and a half.” Continue reading...
Eddie Jones’s side deserve credit for battling with 14 men, but they are still chasing the elusive promise of their own potentialIn England’s national sporting psyche there is a special place reserved for the gallant loser. At times it can feel a little schmaltzy, a touch indulgent. To be beaten but unbowed is a romantic notion though one that can also suggest a certain nobility when the cold, hard facts point to a definitive defeat.Leaving a frazzled Twickenham late on Saturday night you could not help but wonder whether the heroic nature of such a defeat was overblown or if the plaudits heading England’s way were justified after resisting Ireland for so long with 14 men, before two late tries...
As Les Bleus chase a first grand slam in 12 years, more questions than answers exist for France, England and IrelandAnd so the Six Nations has the last tango it wanted. A packed Stade de France and a primetime television audience, a grand slam up for grabs and enough pre-match talking points to wallpaper the Louvre. Can France be stopped? Are England capable of being party-poopers? Is there any chance of Ireland sneaking up on the blindside? Regardless of the answers, “Super Saturday” will be lively.On the evidence of the penultimate weekend’s three games, France should be feeling quietly confident as they eye a first grand slam for 12 years. Continue reading...
The Ireland captain and talisman left his mark eventually despite being a peripheral figure for much of the gameAs the final whistle blew on a bruising and barnstorming and brilliant evening’s entertainment, Ireland’s players wreathed each other in hugs: their ordeal finally at an end, their conquest complete. Johnny Sexton, their captain and talisman, was not among them. He had been withdrawn with a few seconds left on the clock, presumably to grant him one last valedictory ovation from a Twickenham crowd that may never see him in action again.This is the sort of treatment Sexton should probably start getting used to over the coming months. Earlier in the week he finally ended months of speculation by revealing that his...
England showed pride and resilience after Charlie Ewels’ early red card to push Ireland all the way before falling to a 32-15 lossSo it wasn’t one of the great victories. But it may just go down as one of the great defeats. The game should have been as good as over before it had even really started, cut short by a red card after Charlie Ewels’ reckless tackle on James Ryan.The crowd didn’t like it, and booed long and loudly after Mathieu Raynal made the decision. But of course the referee was right. The fans’ frustration overwhelmed everything they’ve learned in the last few years about the long-term consequences of those kinds of collisions. But really, all that knowledge about...