Andy Farrell: Three non-playing squad members were 'heart and soul' for Ireland in Six Nations
AMBITIOUS: Andy Farrell says this Ireland team are chasing more than simply doing well. Picture: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
Andy Farrell praised the sum of Ireland’s parts as he reflected on a second Guinness Six Nations title in a row but urged his players to keep striving for perfection as the head coach turned his attention to a summer showdown with world champions South Africa.
Ireland maintained their status as the kings of northern hemisphere rugby with a gritty victory over Scotland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday that was not without its imperfections but nevertheless delivered exactly what was required, seeing off title challengers England before they took the field against France in the final match of the 2024 championship.
The win against a resilient if limited Scottish outfit concluded a campaign that in truth peaked in the opening round with a rousing victory over France in Marseille six weeks previously, although that should not diminish the achievements of Farrell’s champions.
Their dreams of historic back-to-back Grand Slams had been ended by England’s last-gasp one-point victory at Twickenham seven days earlier but this was Ireland’s fifth Six Nations title in a decade, their sixth since 2009 and Peter O’Mahony and his players deserved their moments of celebration with friends, family and supporters after the captain and Tadhg Furlong had raised the trophy aloft as U2’s Beautiful Day rang out around the Aviva.
They had not been at their fluent best in this final lap of an arduous race from pillar to post but they had yet again found a way to get the job done, Dan Sheehan’s 12th minute try, converted by Jack Crowley settling early nerves as Scotland’s lineout malfunctioned on their own five-metre line. Yet the visitors had ambitions of their own, with a Triple Crown in their sights as well as a desire not to lose a 10th straight match to their hosts, and two Finn Russell penalties sent Ireland into half-time with only a 7-6 lead.
The third quarter shifted the narrative, Ireland starting fast and dominating proceedings as they found their multi-phase groove if not their killer try-scoring instincts. Furlong’s dive over the line following a tap penalty on five metres was ruled to have been knocked forward, Robbie Henshaw was expertly held up by Cameron Redpath having crossed the whitewash and Calvin Nash was halted short of the line having wrong-footed four defenders cutting in off his right wing.
A Crowley penalty on 42 minutes was all they had to show for their superiority as Scotland defended doggedly, their strength of their performance without the ball in stark contrast to the flaws that had been exploited by Italy in Rome in the previous round. Their resilience finally cracked shortly after Henshaw’s missed opportunity, replacement hooker Ewan Ashman sin-binned for the third penalty against his team in short succession and the resulting play off a second tap penalty seeing Andrew Porter crash over, Crowley adding the extras.
A late Huw Jones try gave the Scots hope and Ireland fans some jitters that were soothed only when the Ireland won a scrum from spilled ball and dispatched it into the grandstands soon after.
Farrell was understandably proud of his entire squad’s effort, including non-playing members Tom Stewart, Jacob Stockdale and Nick Timoney, across all five matches.
"Well, I suppose you'll start with where the ambition to win the thing is always right there up front. We are delighted to be able to do that,” Farrell said.
"Do you know what, the first game is obviously the one that people will talk about, Marseille away, everyone knew what a big start to the competition that was.
"I actually, probably look at the Italy game as a....I mean have a look at what's happened since, you know, with Italy and their performances and the change in the personnel that we had and how we got the bonus-point win from that.
"So that pleased me most really because it has been a group effort, you know, and it's what we pride ourselves on as far as our preparation, as far as people being disappointed, not getting to take to the field.
"You know there is three lads that's not been able to take the field in this competition but they have been the heart and soul of preparation and that's what pleases me more, pleases me most that we're able to get this championship over the line when it mattered for those people."
A two-Test tour to South Africa and renewal of acquaintances with the world-champion Springboks is up next for Ireland in July and Farrell pinpointed that challenge as the next big examination of his developing side’s credentials.
Ireland had come into this championship with a big question mark over how they would cope without retired talisman and captain Johnny Sexton and struck gold with an assured replacement in Jack Crowley, who played every minute of the campaign in the number 10 jersey.
Still only 14 caps into his Test career, and with only 21 professional games as a starting fly-half with Munster and Ireland, he still has plenty of road left to travel in his development and his head coach admitted he had not been given the 24-year-old an easy ride during this campaign.
"Jack's a realist. And do you know what? I've been hard on him, we have.
"And Jack will tell you that because it's easy to read the press isn't it, with you guys, and get carried away that, you know, 'I'm doing it and I am doing really well'.
"But we've kept his feet on the ground and Joe McCarthy as well and people like that because there has to be a realisation that that is not it, that's not what we are chasing.
"We are chasing something better than that and as long as we can continue to do that we'll continue to grow as a group.”
J Larmour (H Byrne, 68); C Nash (G Ringrose, 56), R Henshaw, B Aki, J Lowe; J Crowley, J Gibson-Park (C Murray, 69); A Porter (C Healy, 67), D Sheehan (R Kelleher, 55), T Furlong (F Bealham, 51 - HIA); J McCarthy (R Baird, 55), T Beirne; P O’Mahony – captain (J Conan, 64), J van der Flier C Doris.
Yellow card: H Byrne 75.
B Kinghorn (K Rowe, 66); K Steyn, H Jones, S McDowall (C Redpath, 61), D van der Merwe; F Russell – co-captain, B White (G Horne, 61); P Schoeman (R Sutherland, 49), G Turner (E Ashman, 49), Z Ferguson (J Sebastien, 70); G Gilchrist, S Cummings (S Skinner, 70); A Christie (G Turner 68-74 – YC front-row replacement), R Darge – co-captain (M Fagerson, 61), J Dempsey.
E Ashman 64-74
Matthew Carley (England)
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