Ireland can’t do it by halves this time

RBS SIX NATIONS:

Ireland gave us the archetypal game of two halves last Saturday in their RBS 6 Nations opener at the Millennium Stadium as they raced into a 30-3 lead after 42 minutes of scintillating, high-intensity rugby and then creaked in the face of a Wales onslaught so alarmingly that they were lucky to leave Cardiff with a victory.

That they did prevail, despite conceding three tries, is thanks to a wonderful defensive effort that says much about the desire of Declan Kidney’s side to cast aside the stuttering Six Nations campaigns of the last four years and focus on emulating the Grand Slam heroes of 2009. There is still a long way to go in that regard of course, but beating an England side on the up under the new regime led by head coach Stuart Lancaster in Dublin tomorrow will be an extremely important step along that road.