Exposing astounding English naivety

IF ever a team captured the spirit of a nation, it was Ireland’s 22 proud heroes in Croke Park on Saturday.

You sensed something special was going to happen from the moment the teams were announced. A deafening roar accompanied the name of each Irish player. If anyone was in any doubt what the occasion meant to those players, one only had to look at the tear-strewn faces of John Hayes and Jerry Flannery before the start of the game.

The build up to this contest was dominated by matters other than rugby and a strange nervousness hung over the stadium in the moments prior to the national anthems. For the 40 seconds that it took to perform ‘God Save the Queen’, the eyes of the world were focused on a green field on the north-side of Dublin. One need not have worried.

Once again those charged with the responsibility of supporting an Irish team did the country proud. The round of applause that followed England’s anthem will be remembered in the same manner as that which greeted John Pullin’s England in Lansdowne Road in 1973.

With the memory of the last minute defeat to France still raw, Ireland played with a commitment and intensity that blew England away. Nowhere was this more obvious than in the performance of Paul O’Connell. He played like a man possessed. Where he went, others followed.

Despite conceding the first score to a Jonny Wilkinson penalty in the second minute, Ireland stage-managed the opening sequences to ensure the slow start that proved so costly against France would not be repeated. This was exemplified by the manner in which they chose to run from deep inside their own 22 on three occasions in the opening quarter. As a result of the yardage made, Ireland grew in confidence.

This victory was built on solid foundations. For the six Munster forwards on duty, the sight of Martin Corry, Louis Deacon and George Chuter evoked memories of Leicester in Thomond Park. The prime victims appeared to be Corry and Harry Ellis who were picked up and dumped on their backsides with such regularity they must have realised this was payback.

In Ireland’s successive defeats of England over the past three seasons, the launching pad has been the demolition of the England lineout. On this occasion it was no different. O’Connell, in particular, was masterful and took on additional responsibility by calling the majority of ball on himself. He also attacked England’s delivery with menace, pinching two vital balls in the first half.

If the lineout set the tone, Ireland scrum was a revelation. The front row of Hayes, Rory Best and Marcus Horan was imperious throughout and the introduction of Julian White early in the second half made no difference. The fact that Corry was forced to pick from the base of a retreating scrum presented an inviting target for Ireland’s dominant back row. They didn’t disappoint.

The key moment in this game was the sin binning of Danny Grewcock prior to half-time. In his absence Ireland racked up 14 unanswered points. England’s naivety in this period was astounding. Forced to defend a five metre scrum with seven forwards, I couldn’t believe they failed to bring Andy Farrell in from the centre to plug the gap in the back row. He started his Union career in the No. 6 jersey. Sensing the opportunity, Ireland shunted England backwards forcing Joe Worsley to touch down behind his goal line. From the resultant scrum David Wallace scored Ireland’s second try, complementing that of Girvan Dempsey in Grewcock’s absence. When the half time whistle blew England trooped off 20 points in arrears and devoid of ideas.

THE difference in the commitment of both sides was highlighted in the approach to the breakdown. If Ireland were hesitant against France they committed their bodies with reckless abandon this time. Time and again the English ball carrier was isolated resulting in numerous turnovers. In this respect, none did better than Denis Leamy who rivalled O’Connell for the ‘man of the match’ award. His work rate, along with Wallace and Simon Easterby, was phenomenal.

As anticipated, Ireland also enjoyed a marked advantage in midfield where the returning Brian O’Driscoll was a class act. In possession, England lacked a cutting edge behind the scrum, save for an impressive debut from new boy David Strettle.

The most impressive part of this performance was the manner in which Ireland survived a rocky ten minute period in the second half to find a ruthless streak in destroying England. The turnaround in the four years since Martin Johnson’s team hammered Ireland 42-6 en route to a Grand Slam in Lansdowne Road in 2003 is incredible.

Who could have predicted that England, as reigning world champions, could fall so far? Who could have foreseen the massive strides that Ireland has taken in that time? It is rare in team sports that so many individuals reach peak performance on the same day. If O’Connell was majestic, then Donncha O’Callaghan wasn’t far behind. Once again John Hayes produced a remarkable performance and was even afforded the rare luxury of watching the closing minutes from the bench.

Most amazing of all was the display of David Wallace. Rarely has any one individual been asked to perform such a multiplicity of roles. Over the course of the game he won three line-outs as an auxiliary front jumper, was used as an additional midfield back in tandem with O’Driscoll and D’Arcy, was one of Ireland’s primary ball carriers and also managed to perform his basic duties as a hoover of ball on the ground.

Behind the scrum, the difference that Peter Stringer brings to this backline was obvious for all to see and Ronan O’Gara prospered as a result. He was superb.

If anyone was ever in any doubt where Shane Horgan is most effective then his performance on the right wing provided the definitive answer. Given a license to roam, he made maximum use of every opportunity. Early on he was used as a testing ground for Jonny Wilkinson’s damaged shoulders and asked serious questions of England’s defensive organisation.

With a trip to Murrayfield on the horizon, the achievement of back to back Triple Crowns now looks a formality. The only disappointing aspect on Saturday was the feeling that the French game was the one that got away.

That said one can only commend the character of the side in recovering from such a shattering defeat to produce a performance of such quality.

On an occasion when the performance of the crowd was under as much scrutiny by the outside world as that of the players, I am proud to say that everyone, on and off the field, played their part.