Donal Lenihan: Jacob Stockdale must seize the moment if he wants that No.15 jersey
FAST FORWARD: Ireland full-back Jacob Stockdale makes a break during the Six Nations clash with Italy at the Aviva Stadium. Stockdale has been offered the chance to take ownership of the No 15 shirt and how he performs against France and England will be key.
Without question, the most bizarre Six Nations game I’ve ever seen. Has an Irish team ever taken to the hallowed turf of Lansdowne Road to such a muted welcome?
In the recent past, I have been critical of supporters still in the bars when the captain leads out the troops to vast tracts of empty seats but for Jonny Sexton to do so to the sound of silence for a game of this magnitude must have been surreal. Credit to the players who just put the head down and got on with things against Italy on Saturday.
Having waited seven months to get the painful defeat to England out of his system, Andy Farrell will be thrilled that his side delivered on a lot of fronts but mindful, having watched France score five tries in their 38-21 win over Wales later Saturday, next weekend’s contest at the Stade de France will be a far more difficult proposition.
The problem with playing against Italy these days is you know in advance that anything less than a bonus point win will be seen as a failure. Ireland delivered on that primary objective, scoring seven tries in total, which elevated them from fourth to Six Nations table-toppers heading into the final round of action.
Farrell will be pleased that his side achieved more than the base line return expected. The set piece was rock solid throughout while their aggressive line speed in defence proved difficult for the visitors to cope with.
In addition the accuracy of the work at the breakdown led to far more variety in attack.
Most satisfying for Farrell is the fact that the two new caps in the starting line-up, Will Connors and Hugo Keenan, looked comfortable at this level with Connors named man of the match and Keenan his main challenger for the accolade.
Two more, Ed Byrne and Jamison Gibson-Park, made their debuts off the bench while Connacht hooker Dave Heffernan — who won his first cap as a late replacement against USA in 2017 during the Lions tour to New Zealand — will derive even more satisfaction from this appearance.
Keenan enjoyed an amazing cameo in the lead up to half time, touching down three times between the 29th and 36th minute, only to have the second disallowed due to a very harsh blocking call against James Ryan.
Leinster’s most impressive back in the Champions Cup defeat to Saracens recently, Keenan does something positive every time he touches the ball. He has great feet, is superb in the air, and has a phenomenal work-rate.
In a new-look back three, Jacob Stockdale looked far more composed at full-back. His first instinct from kick receipts was to counter attack and, with his pace and strength, he invariably broke the first tackle.
Defensively he is a bit less exposed than on the wing but could take a leaf out of Keenan’s book in terms of his work off the ball. On too many occasions when chasing a kick, he fails to nail the receiver in the tackle. Having made the effort to get there in the first, he has to make his tackle count.
With Jordan Larmour likely to miss the 2021 Six Nations due to shoulder surgery, Stockdale has been offered the chance to take ownership of the No 15 shirt. How he performs on the road, against France next up and England in Twickenham next month, will go a long way towards answering that question for Farrell.
Given that Keenan is a natural full back and that competition for back three slots is set to heat up further when Larmour and Keith Earls return from injury and James Lowe qualifies on residency grounds next month, Stockdale needs to seize the moment in what he has openly stated is his more favoured position.
In the build up to the game, every Irish player interviewed spoke about the licence Farrell and attack coach Mike Catt have given the players to react to opportunities as they present themselves and play in a less structured manner. That became more evident as the game progressed with outstanding interplay between backs and forwards, not least in the build up to Sexton’s brilliant try and Peter O’Mahony’s sumptuous off load for Bundee Aki’s five-pointer.
It helped that Ireland were so clinical at the breakdown and frustrated the Italians with their ability in the choke tackle and in generating turnovers. Italy’s indiscipline in the contact area didn’t help their cause, especially in the opening half when conceding seven penalties.
Connors made a nuisance of himself in the tackle, setting up opportunities for the second man in, usually CJ Stander or Tadhg Beirne, to either pilfer possession or slow the recycle.
For Ireland to have any chance of winning in Paris they must build on this as the French looked lethal off quick ball against the Welsh.
He also marked his debut with a try, made 20 tackles and worked tirelessly. That said, he will need no reminding that not only is Josh van Der Flier competing furiously for his place but, after 19 months on the sideline after suffering a horrific leg injury against Ulster, Dan Leavy finally saw game time when coming off the bench for Leinster in their big win over Zebre on Friday night.
While it will take time for him to get back to the consistently levels he set prior to injury, hopefully Leavy will have enough game time under his belt to compete for a place when the Six Nations comes around again next February. What a welcome sight that would be.
The professional era has seen Ireland produce a conveyor belt of highly influential back rowers such as David Wallace, Jamie Heaslip, Anthony Foley, Denis Leamy, Stephen Ferris, Sean O’Brien, O’Mahony, and Stander.
Winning only his third cap, Caelan Doris looks capable of emulating the feats of his immediate predecessors. He was outstanding on Saturday, immensely powerful on the ball, productive out of touch and highly intelligent in the contact area.
How refreshing too to see Conor Murray back to his outstanding best. He saved Ireland’s blushes with a magnificent cover tackle on his opposite number Marcello Violi, who might otherwise have scored under the posts, after a far-too-easy line break from Sebastian Negri three minutes in. Murray took one for the team when illegally preventing a quick recycle after the tackle, receiving a yellow card for his troubles.
Ireland reacted to the subsequent penalty that put the visitors into the lead in the best possible manner with 10 points on the board despite playing with 14 men.
On his return, Murray continued to make his presence felt with two try assists including a class grubber kick on the run for Keenan’s second try. His passing was crisp, there was far greater variety to his game with his probes also putting the visitors back row under pressure.
In the context of the championship, the only downside was the concession of a try in added time to the impressive Italian debutant 20-year-old Paolo Garbisi. That said, Ireland face a monumental task in beating France by even the smallest of margins.
That has to be their primary goal at this stage.
Anything else would be a major bonus.
