Donal Lenihan: A great day to be Irish at Twickenham as Farrell takes the right path
Robert Baloucoune underlined his growing international credentials with a try. Picture: INPHO/Billy Stickland
You really had to be there to appreciate just how satisfying and comprehensive a win this was. At times, you had to pinch yourself to make sure what was unfolding in front of you was actually happening.
At a time when you were beginning to wonder if the good days were about to become a relic of the past, Ireland delivered a performance for the ages, their best since the opening day of the 2024 Six Nations when they beat France in Marseille.
Interviewed immediately after the game, captain Caelan Doris referenced the Irish supporters, their singing of Ireland’s Call at the outset and the frequent renditions of The Fields of Athenry over the course of the match.
Despite some patchy performances of late, the Irish players knew they weren’t alone. There’s always something special in the air when Ireland are tasked with taking on our greatest foe in Twickenham. In times past, the Irish in London were there because they had no other choice. Jobs were hard to come by.
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Things are a bit different now. A desire to sample life abroad is undertaken out of curiosity rather than necessity. Our well-educated young men and women can now afford to cross the water and cherrypick the best of opportunities open to them. It was a great day to be Irish in Twickenham.
For over a decade now our national team has strutted their wares against the giants of the game without fear, confident in their ability to deliver when the chips were down. Having opened the campaign with a flat performance against a superb French side, the expected response against Italy never materialized in a game Ireland could so easily have lost.
Having escaped to victory in that one, the expectation was that Ireland were set to face an England side who, on the back of losing to Scotland ending a 12-test winning run, would be smarting and ready to deliver a response in keeping with their rising stock on the world stage.
What transpired was revealing in so many ways. I mentioned on these pages last Saturday how Ireland had reached a seminal moment on the road, one that could lead them in one direction or the other. Thankfully, right from the outset, Ireland choose the right path and reset the clock in a game that will define their immediate future.
If Andy Farrell had to resort to questioning the desire and intent of his players in the aftermath of the horror show against France, he could not be prouder of the collective excellence, in all facets of play, in this astonishing game.
Farrell had already proved his worth as a world-class coach heading into this game. He also knows that those credentials are always open to scrutiny, especially when the tide begins to turn against you. Having failed to elicit the desired response against Italy after the downbeat loss in Paris, this was backs against the wall time.
Over the last few weeks six alterations were made to the team that started against Italy followed by five more for this game. Some of the best players to grace an Irish side found themselves on the outside looking in, be it on the bench or left on the outside looking in.
James Lowe proved his worth in spades when recalled for the Italian game. He was magnificent. When he was forced off with a nasty injury after 18 minutes, he was replaced by a casualty of that opening night defeat to the French in Tommy O'Brien.
For a promising young player to lose his place after such a disappointing showing against France, many were surprised when Farrell opted for a 5/3 bench, having gone with a 6/2 split of forwards over backs for the opening games, even more so when it earned a recall for Tommy O'Brien.
Farrell must be clairvoyant as it proved an inspired choice when Lowe have to depart the scene early on to be replaced by O Brien. Everyone knew that for Ireland to diffuse England’s strengths, coming out on top in the aerial kicking contest was a must.
In that aspect alone, O'Brien was imperious when introduced. Not only his work rate off the wing, either covering the back field in defense or creating an additional option in attack, he proved massively influential not least when scoring a crucial try on the half hour mark to propel Ireland into a 22 point lead.
On the opposite wing, Rob Baloucoune underlined his growing international credentials with a try in consecutive tests in tandem with another masterclass in the air, along with confirmation of his blistering pace.
Henry Arundell is one of the fastest wingers on the international stage. Looking to back that pace, he made the fatal error of showing Baloucoune the outside in the expectation of being able to close him down. The Ulster man burned him, showing the raw pace that this Irish side has been lacking out wide for a long time.
For Ireland to prevail, they had to start well. All week Farrell stressed the necessity to “fire shots” early on while Caelan Doris made it very clear everyone was on the same page when stating they were “going to hunt England down” from the outset.
Both were true to their word. Ireland bossed the opening exchanges, racing into a 0-10 lead on 20 minutes. The fact Ireland’s five tries were scored by different players highlighted just how much of a team performance this was.
Everyone enjoyed special moments. Jamison Gibson-Park not only backed up his impressive second-half cameo off the bench against Italy that earned him a recall, he teased England’s fringe defense from the outset which led the way with Ireland’s opening try.
It’s hard to remember when Ireland started a game of this magnitude better. All across the field, England’s failure to cope forced Borthwick into drastic measures. Such was their lack of leadership across the opening quarter, a shocked Luke Cowen-Dickie was withdrawn after 29 minutes for former captain Jamie George in order to add some level of direction to a side that looked rudderless.
For the first time in the tournament to date, Ireland bossed the collisions, generating serious momentum when carrying into contact which allowed Gibson-Park and the excellent Jack Crowley direct how and where the game was played.
The hang time Crowley generated on his spiral bombs meant Ireland’s ravenous chasers were allowed compete on their terms for every high-hanging kick. On the other side of the ball, England couldn’t deal with the ferocity of Ireland’s defense and manic work rate which was epitomized by Stuart McCluskey in midfield.
The big Ulster man has never enjoyed such an all-court appearance in a green shirt. The power of his carries, his trademark offloads and phenomenal work rate from start to finish set a benchmark for everyone around him.
Nobody in an England shirt came anywhere the intensity he brought over the 80 minutes. On the evidence of this grossly inept showing, it’s difficult to comprehend how England managed to win 12 tests in a row prior to the collapse against Scotland.
Despite all the despite all the sophistication, attacking structures and defensive systems that’s become part and parcel of the modern game, emotion still plays a huge part in this compelling game of ours. In simple terms, Ireland brought it in spades, best represented by their unyielding scramble defense and manic workrate.
On the flip side, England were completely devoid of any semblance of desire and emotion. In order to counter that shortcoming after the Murrayfield disaster, young Henry Pollock was promoted from the bench to start an international for the first time due, primarily, to the energy brought off the bench in his previous seven caps. It’s a sad indictment of Borthwick’s team that they have to resort to a 21-year-old kid to bring those qualities on board.
The pressure on Ireland entering the Twickenham cauldron was enormous. Lose and mid table mediocrity beckoned. To their credit, Ireland delivered in spades. By half time, they were firmly in control after an astonishing display defined by a ruthlessness in defense and an attacking masterclass.
Even more impressive was the way they kept the foot on England’s throat to deliver a truly memorable day for Irish supporters far and wide. It was a privilege to witness this in the flesh.
