Peter Jackson: Rugby was turned upside down and inside out
France's winger Damian Penaud celebrates his try in Saturday night's win over New Zealand at the Stade de France.
Of all the startling scorelines over the last seven days, the most staggering emerged Sunday in Dublin as a result of Ireland duly taking Argentina to the cleaners: Europe 4 Southern Hemisphere 0.
The domino effect of a rugby weekend like no other began with a rejuvenated England outwitting the world-beating Springboks, a ravaged Wales making the Wallabies pay for their gross indiscipline and France daring to run the All Blacks off their feet.
The last of the southern quartet left standing, the Pumas, as weary as a team is liable to be after 23 straight Tests on the road, collapsed in a heap. All four had been beaten within barely a matter of 24 hours which history may yet identify as the single most seismic shift of the game’s tectonic plates.
Rarely can Charles F Richter’s old scale have been subjected to so many shuddering hits in such a short space of time. The sense that rugby was being turned upside down and inside out caused such dizziness that the French finished up late on Saturday night trying to pour flat champagne on the kneejerk theory that they had suddenly become favourites to win their own World Cup in 2023.
Three weeks can be an eternity in Test rugby, never mind the best part of two years. The danger is to take the results at face value, to forget that New Zealand, South Africa and Australia were at the end of a gruelling season made all the more so by Covid.
While due allowance has to be made, what can be said without fear of contradiction is that if one chapter of recent history repeats itself, the Webb Ellis pot of gold will be heading to Europe for only the second time.
The big three all losing on this side of the Equator on the same day had happened just once before, on November 9, 2002. Ireland, thanks to six Ronan O’Gara penalties, saw Eddie Jones’ Australia off in a gale at Lansdowne Road, France walloped the threadbare Springboks in Marseilles and England were lucky to edge home against the All Black reserves, 31-28.
Twelve months later, England won the World Cup. So if the weekend just gone really is a portent of what’s to come, it boils down to picking the winner from three contenders: France, Ireland or England? Adding Wales would be pushing it somewhat given the fortuitous nature of their last-kick win over the losing Aussies.
Nobody would be foolish enough to dismiss the All Blacks but the comprehensive nature of their beatings in Dublin and Paris have raised alarms back home over their historical supremacy suffering irreparable damage as a consequence.
While there are even calls for Ian Foster’s future as head coach to be reviewed as a matter of urgency, Ireland, by contrast, can never have been in better shape going into the Six Nations. Three straight wins, 142 points, 19 tries, the majority from every component in their pack – props, hookers, locks, back row.
What with Joey Carbery re-establishing himself as No. 1 claimant to Johnny Sexton’s throne, Ireland have found real depth for the Six Nations. The World Cup can wait.
PETER O’Mahony will be a touch startled to learn that he can now lay claim to another notable achievement, that of a global fashionista. The trend he set earlier in the year is still trending as the rest of the world catches up, from South America to the South Pacific.
What Munster’s warrior kicked off in Cardiff at the start of the Six Nations has such a following that the Welsh Rugby Union will soon be asked to conform to health-and-safety regulations and place a new sign in the dressing-room area: Early baths this way.
The procession in that direction helped Wales finish a year like no other the way they started it, staggering home against opponents handicapped by the early removal of a back-row forward.
O’Mahony’s red card came 13 minutes into Ireland’s Six Nations opener. Rob Valetini’s arrived in the 15th on Saturday night and even then the depleted Wallabies, reduced to 13 for ten minutes kept Wales waiting until the very last kick for their win.
Four others have been sent off against Wales in between: Scotland tighthead Zander Fagerson at Murrayfield in February, France lock Paul Willemse in Paris in March, Argentina wing Juan Cruz Mallia in Cardiff last summer and Fiji’s Eroni ‘The Sledgehammer’ Sau at the same place last weekend.
Ireland could do worse than start making contingency plans for another 14-man emergency. Wales are first up in the Six Nations, February 5 in Dublin….
WHEN it comes to leaving no stone unturned in the global search for likely lads in far-flung places, nobody does it quite like Scotland. Of those involved in the home win over Japan, the number from beyond Caledonia ran into double figures.
Half were born in England (Chris Harris, Ali Price, Hamish Watson, Josh Bayliss, Sam Skinner), one in Wales (Javad Sebastian), the remainder from South Africa (Duhan van der Merwe, Pierre Schoeman, Dylan Richardson) and Australia (Sam Johnson).
Other current members of the squad come from Boston, Massachussets (Rufus McLean), Toronto (Evan Ashman), Auckland (Sione Tuipulotu), Nick Haining (Freemantle), Ollie Kebble (Durban) and Kyle Steyn (Johannesburg).
The subject is an emotive one and before anyone takes offence, it must be said that Scotland are perfectly entitled to pick each and everyone under the laws on ancestry and residence. The rest of the Six Nations have their own recruiting agencies but whatever the SRU is paying its genealogists, it’s probably not enough.
A Quirke of history
At 20, Raffi Quirke is England’s youngest scrum-half for 90 years but not the youngest practitioner of the trade to strut his stuff at Twickenham. Nor is he the first Quirke.
Back in the winter of 1962, John Quirke was given time off from studies at Blackrock College to make his debut for Ireland against England. The 17-year-old schoolboy formed one part of the youngest of all Irish half-back pairings, alongside Gerry Gilpin, then a 21-year-old student in Belfast.
The teenaged No. 9 is better known now as Mr Justice John Quirke, author of the report of the commission into the Magdalene laundries scandal.
In victory or defeat, Springbok captain Siya Kolisi never loses his sense of perspective, even from the sin-bin at Twickenham: ‘’It’s been a tough year. Many people have lost loved ones and many more have lost jobs. We are lucky to be able to play this great game.’’
Wallaby head coach Dave Rennie with the Rant of the Month: "Some of the decision-making by the officials was horrendous. No doubt we’ll get an apology next week.’’
No they won’t, for the simple reason that there’s nothing to apologise for.
Lions stand-off Dan Biggar locked himself into a siege mentality before the Australia match by rebuking reporters who watched his poor performance against Fiji and dared to say so. ‘’I don’t think you guys have been satisfied with me for ten years,’’ he said to nobody in particular and everyone in general, conveniently ignoring those who have long appreciated his ability to make the most of a God-given talent.
Most colourful piece of punditry, from Donnacha O’Callaghan, ex-Ireland and Munster, on Channel 4 and what makes Tadhg Furlong special: ‘’Hands like Mary Berry and feet like Michael Flatley.’’ No sooner had he said it than the mighty tighthead dropped the ball.
Freddie Steward (England)
Will Jordan (New Zealand)
Damian de Allende (South Africa)
Maximole Mapimpi (South Africa)
Roman NTamack (France)
Antoine Dupont (France)
Steven Kitshoff (South Africa)
Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)
Maro Itoje (England)
Courtney Lawes (England)
Anthony Jelonch (France)
Caelan Doris (Ireland)
