Ireland find the perfect mix of technical excellence
That is why it was so important to finish what had proved an emotional rollercoaster of an international season on a high.
To defeat a side seeking immortality by winning 19 test matches in a row, for the second time in four months, was a phenomenal achievement given both New Zealand and England were at the peak of their powers.
England still won the championship in what has proven an exceptional Six Nations tournament. The tight margins Joe Schmidt so often alludes to came down to the fact that, apart from predictable trips to Rome, England were the only side to win away from home and that victory over Wales in Cardiff was only secured in the dying moments with a superb try by Elliot Daly.
It proved enough to separate them in the final championship table, from the rest. Ireland will rue the fact they were so slow out of the blocks against Scotland in the opening 40 minutes of their campaign and left themselves with too much to do when they eventually turned the tide in the second-half.
In the circumstances, a second place finish was exactly what Schmidt predicted at the outset and that placement, on points differential from France and Scotland, can be attributed to the clinical response after that defeat in Edinburgh when registering nine converted tries against the Italians.
That fact that France eventually pipped Wales in an extraordinary end game in Paris, when Wayne Barnes should have awarded a penalty try from repeatedly collapsed scrums by Wales, also means Ireland enter the pool draw for the 2019 World Cup next May as a top four seed for the first time.
Fine margins again.
In addition, Ireland have now beaten all three sides ranked ahead of them - New Zealand, England and Australia - this season.
Enough about the future. Saturday was all about the present and, at last, Ireland found the perfect mix of technical excellence married with a more traditional ravenous belligerence, especially when England come to town.
From the outset, the Irish pack set the tone by committing more numbers to the breakdown and keeping England on the back foot. even conceded a season’s high of ten penalties by playing far more on the edge, yet still managed to win. I have bemoaned the fact we have been a bit too sanitised recently but, at last, Ireland got the balance right on that front with only two “needless” penalties conceded.
For once England’s key ball carriers in Billy Vunipola and Maro Itoje were on the back foot and never got over the gain line. By half-time, with Ireland leading 10-3, none of the big English players had made any impact on the game.
Much of that can be attributed to the tactical excellence of the Irish game plan - attacking the two pillars on which the England game is based, the lineout and breakdown - allied to what transpired as a bit of good fortune when Peter O Mahony was summoned to replace the unfortunate Jamie Heaslip who was injured in the warm up.
I had highlighted in the build-up how England use their efficient lineout - 98% success rate in the tournament coming into this game - as their launch pad for strike moves. Five of their seven tries against Scotland last week were sourced from this sector.
Ireland removed that platform in the opening half by refusing to kick to touch, without exposing themselves to the counter attack. That excellently executed approach confined England to just two lineouts in the first-half, a period Eddie Jones had demanded England dominate.
Coming into this contest he preached “we have got to be more aggressive than them, more emotional in the right way, more committed, as well as smart and skilful, and that is how we are preparing.” Yet Ireland succeeded in surpassing his side in all of those key objectives.
The fact O’Mahony was drafted into the side so late in the day worked in Ireland’s favour. In my opinion, he should have been selected to start in the first place, not only for what he would add to the lineout but also because of the emotional energy he brings to the game.
You always need that facing a massively powerful England pack. They had prepared their strategy out on touch on the basis of only two main threats posed by Donnacha Ryan and Iain Henderson but ended up facing three.
O’Mahony was superb but so too were those around him up front. The lineout had malfunctioned at key moments against Wales and Rory Best, as captain and thrower, was under pressure. He delivered a masterclass, not only in those primary duties but also in his general workrate.
Ryan and Henderson were immense in winning primary possession and in sharing those duties with O’Mahony. That set the base to get best use of their maul and on this occasion, unlike Cardiff, they got maximum return.
The surprising aspect here was, having chosen on most occasions to concede the air in order to keep their resources on the deck, the huge England pack were consistently driven back in the subsequent maul, thus losing out on both fronts.
That was key in the decision to kick to the corner, on a penalty 23 minutes in, that ultimately led to Henderson’s try. Ireland backed themselves but had to deliver at that moment which they did. The energy derived from that score kept them going until the break.
DDefensively Ireland also excelled with Andy Farrell successfully delivering a blueprint which helped to nullify the attacking threat posed by the passing excellence of his son Owen, who still emerged as England’s most impressive back. Not only did Ireland succeed in keeping England tryless for the first time in 27 tests, it also meant they have now failed to score a single try against Ireland in Dublin since 2011.
Behind the pack Johnny Sexton was superb and guided Ireland around the pitch exquisitely. A constant target who was on the end of several marginal hits, he took his punishment, looked England’s chief executioners in Itoje and James Haskell in the eye and made it clear he was not going to break. His sweetly-struck penalty in the 70th minute, after yet another late hit, was proof of that iron will.
Inside him, operating in the shadow of Conor Murray, Connacht scrum-half Kieran Marmion rose to the challenge, in only his second start, to deliver a wonderful performance. His kicking, passing and decision making were immaculate and offered proof of the exciting young resources waiting in the wings.
Was there a better example of that than the ballsy kick from Marmion’s replacement Luke McGrath when he took responsibility on his shoulders to close out the game in the dying minutes. One of three six nations debutants on the day along with new cap Andrew Conway - what an introduction to international rugby for him - and Dan Leavy, McGrath too showed that there is talent backing up behind Murray which is key as Schmidt builds towards Japan 2019.
Schmidt has capped 20 new Irish players since our exit from the 2015 World Cup, meaning that the foundation blocks are now in place as he steps up preparations for the next event. That win on Saturday will convince him that, despite the setbacks and regrets this championship presented, he is still heading in the right direction.
