Donal Lenihan: Slick Irish switch focus to Le Crunch in Paris

Ireland's Garry Ringrose celebrates scoring their fourth try with Andrew Conway. Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

It says everything about the difference in quality between the old Six Nations rivals at Lansdowne Road on Saturday that, despite the 22-point winning margin, Ireland could and should have handed out a greater beating to Wales.

That said, you had to be pitchside to appreciate just how difficult conditions were at ground level, a swirling wind and intermittent rain making handling conditions very challenging. In the circumstances, the fact that Ireland stayed true to their attacking principles, looked to keep the ball alive and force a weakened Welsh side, with a number of players lacking in recent game time, into making multiple tackles paid dividends in the end.

A ninth win on the bounce, with a valuable bonus point to boot on the back of four quality tries all scored by the three-quarter line, has launched Ireland’s campaign in an extremely positive manner. As always with the opening match of any campaign, there is plenty scope of improvement which will have to be delivered if Ireland want to extend this winning streak into double figures in Paris next Saturday.

The most exciting aspect for me is the clarity in what Ireland are trying to achieve in attack and the ever-growing ability of the players to make good decisions under pressure. Players have been given a licence to find space rather than contact, with several options available via two distinct lines of attack. The greatest advance made is in the ability of the players to make decisions on the hoof, depending on the pictures that unfold in front of their eyes.

It helps enormously that Ireland now have so many forwards comfortable with ball in hand and with a skill set that has the capacity to exploit any defensive vulnerability in the opposition. Chief amongst these are Tadhg Furlong, who continues to do audacious things for a tight head prop, Ronan Kelleher, Tadhg Beirne and Caelan Doris.

Over time, Andy Farrell has developed a system which places trust in a number of his forwards to act as a first receiver and make the decision whether to carry into contact, to play a flat pass to a fellow forward in the front line, or play it out the back to a deeper line of attack. That forces defenders into making split second calls, under pressure, and has made Ireland a far more potent attacking force.

The real beauty is that this attacking blueprint is continuing to evolve. We waxed lyrical last autumn about the fact that Ireland averaged 217 passes a game over the three match series. On Saturday, in blustery conditions that make passing even more challenging, Ireland extended that further to 237 passes. Wales managed just 160. That stretched the visitors to breaking point.

The real positive is that, despite having so many ball players up front, Ireland have lost nothing in terms of their set-piece efficiency. Ireland’s scrum was masterful on Saturday and was able to manipulate the Welsh front row to such an extent that Furlong and Andrew Porter were able to promote their side of the scrum, at will, to aid the direction Ireland wanted to attack.

This was crucial in that it put the Welsh flanker on that side of the scrum on the back foot and bought an extra second for Jack Conan at the base to launch some really exciting power plays on the narrow side of the pitch. Ireland now possess a forward unit adept at doing the unglamorous work of cleaning out bodies at the breakdown, hitting rucks and making tackles while becoming even more effective in broken play.

In this respect it was great to see James Ryan back to his best after recent issues with concussion. His work rate was off the charts, especially in the more unglamorous arts, a role that facilitates the ball-playing role adopted by his second row partner Beirne.

Another indicator of how the game was unfolding was the fact that Ireland went through the entire opening half without conceding a single penalty. In fact 54 minutes elapsed before conceding the first. That level of discipline is extraordinary.

While a 10-point lead at the break appeared a scant reward for Ireland’s dominance, the fact that the visitors conceded eight penalties in that period was a sign of the pressure they were under and an indication that the dam would eventually burst.

Coming into the game, much was made of the battle between the respective captains, both of whom were directing traffic from No 10. Despite very little game time since the win over New Zealand, Johnny Sexton looked as sharp as he has ever been, attacking the line with his usual authority.

On the front foot for the majority of the game courtesy of his dominant pack, he had the tools that enabled him completely outperform the new Welsh skipper. As always he had to survive a few late hits. One particularly reckless shoulder charge from makeshift Welsh centre Josh Adams could have drawn a greater sanction than the yellow card he received.

As for international debuts, the only thing Mack Hansen was lacking on the day was a try. In the end, he had to settle for two try assists with his quick hands instrumental in sending the excellent duo of Bundee Aki and Andrea Conway in for five-pointers. The opening effort by Aki after two minutes of play helped settle any Irish nerves and put a callow Welsh outfit on the back foot even before they got to draw breath.

You can see why Farrell felt compelled to pick Hansen after observing just how calm and comfortable he appears on the ball and the havoc he can create as a link player in broken play up close in their training camp in Portugal. It might be that Farrell had flown out of Dublin with a different back-three combination in mind but couldn’t ignore the evidence in front of his eyes in training.

Full marks to Farrell for backing his instinct. If Hansen can prove that he is equally adept in the defensive aspects of his game — he looked comfortable on Saturday but will face a far sterner examination at the Stade de France next weekend — then he could add another crucial piece to the ever evolving attacking puzzle that Farrell and attack coach Mike Catt is piecing together.

All Irish eyes are now fully focused on France who looked short of their best against a plucky Italian side and had to wait 68 minutes before securing the now-compulsory four-try bonus point against the Italians. The game’s leading player Antoine Dupont looked short of his best after a recent bout of Covid and a subsequent lack of game time. He will have benefitted hugely from 70 minutes of action yesterday.

If anything, the fact that the French were clearly short of their best will only serve to sharpen their attitude and mindset in training this week in the knowledge that Ireland will punish any repeat of the unforced errors and poor discipline that proliferated their display. What a game that promises to be.

On the day the great Tom Kiernan was laid to rest, the difference in quality that continues to grow between the Irish provinces and the Welsh districts would not have been lost on him. For so much of Kiernan’s distinguished career, as a player and administrator, the Welsh held the upper hand in this great rivalry.

The gulf in standards between these two proud rugby playing nations is increasingly pronounced — Ireland’s U20s put 53 points on their Welsh counterparts in Cork Friday night — and can be traced back directly to the foundations put in place by visionaries like Kiernan once the IRFU began to fully embrace professionalism in the late 1990s.

Tommy can rest easy in the knowledge that he has left Irish rugby in a far better place than he found it.