Destined for the Grand Slam

ONE can’t but escape the feeling that Ireland is destined for this year’s Grand Slam. Prior to Saturday, all indications were that Ireland would secure a comprehensive victory in Cardiff. The thing about sport, however, is that it is never straightforward.

In the past, people have questioned Ronan O’Gara’s bottle under pressure. Never again. With less than 10 minutes on the field, he won the game for Ireland. It was a tremendous sign of the bravery within the Ireland team that they were able to get themselves into a scoring position after Stephen Jones had secured what he presumed was a match-winning drop goal.

Even after O’Gara’s intervention, Wales could have won the match. However, teams which are low on confidence forget how to win matches. Ireland have forgotten how to lose. On Saturday they won a game which in truth could have gone either way.