England’s ineptitude encourages Irish Triple Crown dreams

IRELAND’S confidence is sky-high as they travel to Twickenham on Saturday in search of the Triple Crown and possibly even the RBS Six Nations championship.

Eddie O’Sullivan’s team were no great shakes beating Scotland at Lansdowne Road on Saturday, but England were so inept in crashing 31-6 to France in Paris yesterday that there is a growing belief in the Irish camp that they can pull off a famous victory.

Whatever about the championship, now very much in French hands as they head for the Millennium Stadium, a second Triple Crown in three years is within Ireland’s reach. Under-siege English coach Andy Robinson saw his side concede a soft seven-pointer before there was a minute gone at the Stade de France, and apart from a short spell immediately after half time, they were totally at sea.

Robinson added to the mayhem by ringing the changes and England were an absolute ragbag long before the finish. Shattered-looking skipper Martin Corry described their performance as “shocking” and accepted: “The pressure is on us now more from within than anywhere else but at least we have the chance to make amends in a short few days against Ireland.”

Coach Andy Robinson accepted that England were “awful” and his grim expression suggested that he wasn’t exactly relishing the prospect of taking on what he described as “a good Irish team.”

All Ireland, of course, will hope that England play as badly again in six days. Whereas O’Sullivan will happily name an unchanged team tomorrow, the hapless Robinson won’t know where to turn. His first-choice half-backs, Charlie Hodgson and Matt Dawson, were under constant pressure yesterday and were replaced with half the game still to be played by the less than inspiring Leicester pair Andy Goode and Harry Ellis. Centre Mike Tindall also departed for an early shower, as did half the pack, before the splendid Irish referee Alain Rolland brought a highly embarrassing afternoon to an end.

The championship will be decided in France’s favour if they beat Wales in a match due to kick off at 3.30, two hours before the Twickenham encounter. The two countries are level on six points apiece, but France enjoy a points difference of plus 58 against plus 30 for Ireland. The big hope, of course, is that France’s old fallibility away from home will rear its head again and should the Welsh pull off a shock result, then Ireland will know exactly what they need to do against the English.

Can they again lift the mythical crown and even the championship in what will be the 119th championship meeting of the countries? Given the shortcomings so visible in the English side throughout the campaign and Ireland’s burgeoning confidence, it’s a possibility, no matter what the bookmakers’ odds suggest.

“It’s what we’re all in the game for and where we want to be,” said an excited Eddie O’Sullivan.

“We’re in the situation we wanted to be in at this point,” said the Ireland head coach.

“We said after beating Wales we were very happy but this result has put us in the position to win and that’s why nothing mattered until the final whistle yesterday.

“We’re still in charge of our own destiny. We go to Twickenham with a Triple Crown there for the taking as well. That’s a nice place to be after four games in the championship.

“We feel like we achieved something in beating a very good Scotland team. Now we will circle the wagons and start setting our sights on Twickenham.”