James Lowe: 'We’re just in a good place at the moment and doing the basics right'
GOOD PLACE: Ireland's James Lowe after Ireland defeated Italy. Pic credit: Ben Brady, Inpho.
It has been more than a decade now since Ireland lost to Italy as the points and tries have rained down on the Azzurri year after year.
Yet no performance since that last defeat in Rome in 2013 has been quite as ruthless as last Sunday’s when Andy Farrell’s men did not concede a point in their 36-0 bonus-point victory at Aviva Stadium.
Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada was impressed enough to compare this 2024 Ireland side to the all-conquering New Zealand All Blacks sides of old the way the home side’s basics were executed with accuracy and precision, its set-piece faultless, as was their aerial prowess under the high ball.
It was the first nilling of a Guinness Six Nations opponent, the last occasion coming during the 1987 Five Nations against England, and that determination to not only beat a Test side but keep them scoreless was a point picked up on by Ireland’s try-scoring wing and man of the match James Lowe in addition to Quesada’s recognition of the basics being done exceptionally well.
“We actually talked about it when we went 19-0 up,” Lowe said post-match.
“It was 37 minutes gone and last week (against France at Stade Velodrome) we conceded a try in those last few minutes (scored by Damien Penaud) so we actually touched on that in the huddle.
“It’s a simple game when you do all of that right. You just get your set-piece right, you get your ruck sorted, you play in the right areas of the field, and you put pressure on. It’s a simple game but the other team is trying to do that to you as well.
“So we’re just in a good place at the moment and doing the basics right. Our set-piece has been outstanding these last two weeks.
"To go away to Marseille and for our forwards to deliver the way they did, and again today, in the way that they did, it makes it easier as a back line to get a bit of front-foot ball.”
Lowe, 31, had made just two appearances for Leinster following Ireland’s World Cup campaign last autumn, against Leicester Tigers and Stade Francais in January but has hit the ground running on his return to Test rugby to earn the praise of head coach Andy Farrell following his try-scoring performance against the Italians.
Lowe scored Ireland’s fifth of the six run in on Sunday afternoon and it was perhaps the pick of them as he carried from the edge of Italy’s 22 and through three defenders to claim his 13th international try in 28 appearances.
The Ireland boss call it a “hell of a try… hell of a finish” and said: “He's always there for us, isn't he, as far as his weapon of a left boot but it was a bit more than that today. He ran with intent and he's a big man, hard to stop, got good skills at the line as well.”
Lowe said he has plenty of road left to travel in terms of his potential and with Wales next on the horizon in Dublin a week on Saturday.
“I feel like things are falling into place pretty well, my body is feeling good, I’m getting minutes. Defensively, week-on-week, I’m getting good reads and picking off passes.
“I probably just want to get my hands on the ball more, I’m not going to lie, trying to find ways of getting into the game. I’m happy but obviously we’re only two rounds in. I can’t just stop now.
“We’ll pick apart our game and see where we could have made more of a difference individually and collectively and we’ll go from there and hopefully we’ll be able to get even better for Wales in two weeks’ time.”
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