Donal Lenihan: Ireland need to stock up on depth charges

Donal Lenihan: Andy Farrell was forced to ask his two most powerful and explosive props in Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong to keep going for 17 minutes longer than the starting French props against fresh opponents in Demba Bamba and Jean-Baptiste Gros"

Fifty-two minutes into the opening Six Nations game against Wales, Andy Farrell’s attention had already shifted to France. The fact that Ireland were in total control, leading by 24-0, enabled him replace Tadhg Furlong and Jack Conan, both highly influential figures to that point, without any danger of repercussions given the meek nature of the Welsh challenge.

Saturday evening’s encounter in a bristling Stade de France was always going to be a contest of an entirely different nature with all hands required on deck in order to stay alive. If anything, the confidence generated by having six British and Irish Lions available to spring off the bench offered a calm reassurance that Ireland had the resources to remain competitive right to the final whistle.

Six games into this season’s championship, Ireland have contributed to the two best clashes of the competition. The quality of rugby produced against Wales put everyone on notice that the attacking fluidity and accuracy on show, for the first time in Farrell’s regime in the November test window, was no aberration.

If anything, Ireland showed signs against the Welsh that their game is continuing to evolve. The one caveat surrounding the approach was what would happen when Ireland failed to win the battle for the gain line and the impact that would have on their ability to recycle possession on their own terms.

If any team in the tournament had the capacity to win that sector it was France — and so it proved. For me, they are already up there as one of the best two teams in the world, along with New Zealand who, I suspect, will be a different animal next summer to the one we hosted last autumn. The frightening thing about France is they have plenty of scope to develop into an even more rounded side by the time the World Cup roles around.

What they have over Ireland is brutal physicality up front which enables them deal with the likes of South Africa and England better than us. That is why Farrell is developing a style that is less reliant on brute force by seeking to play out of contact and keeping the ball alive in the tackle. Saturday’s defeat confirmed that we still have a journey to travel in order to beat the very best.

The French have a growing depth of front five forwards, as big as any Springbok unit, but with a superior skill set. Their scrum is becoming a real weapon without losing anything when it comes to being competitive at the breakdown and in the carrying stakes. Ireland don’t have anything like the same level of bulk and power across their forward resources.

The French front five last weekend weighted in at a massive 95 stone, an average of 19 stone a man and heavier than their Irish counterparts by over a stone a man. Even more telling was their ability to replace that entire unit by the 55th minute with another batch of skilled monsters, incredibly, with the same combined weight.

They even had the luxury of replacing like with like in the second row, the hulking 20 stone mass that is Romain Taofifenua replacing an equivalent behemoth in Paul Willemse with the lighter, more hybrid Thibaud Flament replacing a replica in the wonderfully skillful Cameron Waki.

In contrast, Andy Farrell was forced to ask his two most powerful and explosive props in Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong to keep going for 17 minutes longer than the starting French props against fresh opponents in Demba Bamba and Jean-Baptiste Gros. That’s why there’s such a huge degree of satisfaction to be taken from the fact that Ireland were still in the fight, competing in a one score game, right to the final whistle.

The big problem here is, if this was at the knock out stage of a World Cup, Porter and Furlong would be tasked with going to the well again within seven days of such a demanding shift while the French pairing of Cyril Baille and Uini Atonio would have recovered much faster.

Rassie Erasmus used his bomb squad, a front five combination even better than the starting unit, off the bench on the 50 minute mark with brilliant effect to deliver the 2019 World Cup.

Ireland have a really competitive pack at present but need more depth at prop and second row, to be able to compete with the likes of South Africa, New Zealand, France and England at the knockout phase of a World Cup.

Farrell is very aware of the challenges Ireland face against bigger sides, hence the high tempo game he is developing. Ireland are capable of going toe to toe with most sides in the physical exchanges but its the cumulative effect of that attrition in tournament rugby that has steered him down a different avenue.

That Ireland recovered from a calamitous start, trailing by 10 points after six minutes, speaks volumes for the resilience and belief in the side. That comes down to the cohesion and togetherness Farrell has generated since coming on board.

Earlier this week, Manchester City’s gifted coach Pep Guardiola attributed his sides magnificent form this season to a greater harmony within the squad. Farrell has succeeded in creating the same attribute in this Irish camp and that manifested itself when their backs were to the wall in Paris.

Given the vast improvements made in the structure and organisation of the French defence since Shaun Edwards came on board, and the noticeable change in mind set and willingness to work so much harder on the unglamorous aspects of the game that Edwards has instilled, the fact that Ireland scored three tries against them was a great achievement.

Farrell also deserves credit for recognising the maverick aspects that Mack Hansen brings to the table by selecting him from left field for the Welsh game. It would have been so much easier to take the safer option in Keith Earls or the inform Robert Baloucoune once Earls was ruled out with injury.

Hansen has taken to international rugby like a duck to water and looks unflustered by the intensity of his surroundings. The Stade de France was humming on Saturday evening, the local crowd whipped up to a frenzy in the period just before kick-off.

Yet Hansen looked totally at ease and went about his business with a calm assurance that inspires confidence. His audacious try, fashioned out of nothing but a willingness to chase a kick off with all his might, offered a timely boost for a shell-shocked Irish side. Joey Carbery’s brilliant touch line conversion narrowed the gap to three points and Ireland were back in the ball game.

Equally important was the remarkable try-saving effort from back up hooker Dan Sheehan — what a game he had given his comparative inexperience when introduced after only 25 minutes — when denying Melvyn Jaminet at the death.

His intervention meant Ireland left Paris with a net loss of only three championship points as opposed to five as it not only denied the French a four-try bonus point but secured a losing one for Ireland.

Two championship points in a tournament as competitive as this one is likely to be — the French are already the only unbeaten side in the tournament after two rounds — could prove a game changer when the final table emerges.

Ireland’s determination to stay in the fight deserved nothing less on an enthralling evening in the French capital.

Ireland will be better for the experience.