Mike Catt: 'Grand Slam will take care of itself if we perform to our best'

Assistant coach Mike Catt.

France sacked in their own back yard, three home games to come and the only other away game a trip to Twickenham and a meeting with an England team that is still trying to find its feet under Steve Borthwick.

Is it any wonder Ireland are being talked up for another Grand Slam?

The opening weekend of the Championship produced plenty of talking points but the difference in standards between Andy Farrell’s side and the other five contenders was night and day. A first back-to-back Slam of the Six Nations era is very much on.

“There’s no need to, is there?” said Ireland assistant coach Mike Catt when asked to add his voice to this debate. “Andy has always spoken about the next performance, that’s been the key thing.

“From the players’ point of view, too, the Grand Slam will take care of itself if we perform to a level we are capable of performing. It’s making sure we put our focus on that and don’t worry about the external noise.” Best of luck with that Mike.

There’s another five weeks and change to go before this tournament ends and that noise is just going to increase with every win they manage to bank. Italy are next up, in Dublin this Sunday, so the decibel levels will be up again come round three.

The reigning champions are prepping for the Azzurri with a perfectly manageable casualty list. Calvin Nash and Hugo Keenan have a few bangs and bruises to show from Marseille while Catt talked up the prospects of Garry Ringrose being fit for the next gig too.

The Leinster centre missed the game at Stade Velodrome with a shoulder injury and didn’t train with the team in Abbotstown on Tuesday. “Progressing nicely,” said Catt of Ringrose. We’ll know for sure when the 23 is named on Friday.

Munster’s Oli Jager has also rejoined the squad.

The tradition come Italy week is to speculate on just how much change Farrell will opt for given the head-to-head record between the teams but the game comes a full nine days after France and the weekend after has been left fallow.

Bottom line here is that there is no physical reason to be resting players so… “Well, first and foremost it’s who’s available, who comes through alright,” said Catt. “Secondly, I think we are in a good position in terms of players that have been in with us over the past two, three, four years.

“Nobody is really new to it, so for people to fit in if they need to get their opportunity, it’s crucial for us to have that squad. It’s a little bit like at the World Cup, you need a squad of players to produce in the Six Nations, and I think we have done that really well.” Changes are inevitable. It probably won’t be wholesale, more considered, and one of the more interesting subplots will be the choice of starter at No.10 after Jack Crowley’s impressive start against France last week.

That was still just a tenth cap for the Munster out-half. He’s not nearly as green as Ciarán Frawley or Harry Byrne, the other two tens in the working group, but Crowley will surely get the chance to add to his CV for a good 50-60 minutes this Sunday.

“It’s just the combinations, whether it’s Jack or Harry, or Frawls at ten. For all those guys, it’s an opportunity to express themselves and show what they are capable of doing. All of them would like a start, so it’s just making sure we do what’s right for the team.” Farrell and his staff will be aware of the perils that can come with too much change. The clunky win against Fiji in November of 2022 probably stands out as the best example of that and there is a need to keep the foot on the accelerator here.

Ireland scored some lovely attacking tries against the French and, while they piled on the pressure late on in that game, it can be harder to keep that level of play across an 80 minutes when facing a team that is expected to wilt earlier.

“It was just the balance of it, we mauled well, we scored some good maul tries, we played to width quite nicely too. The variation was good. When you look at it in the cold light of day there were quite a few opportunities, could have made it a little bit easier for ourselves.

“When you are playing against a French side like that it’s not an easy thing to do. We are pleased but, like the start of every competition, you've always got something to work on so we’ll keep striving for our potential.”