Ireland have flexed their muscles in the opening two
weeks of the Six Nations to stake their claim for the Grand Slam. After their
disappointing exit at the World Cup and the departure of Joe Schmidt, there
were fears that Ireland would not be able to compete for the title.
However, their performances under the tenure of new
coach Andy Farrell have suggested that they will be vying for the crown come
the end of the competition. Ireland are backed in the rugby union betting odds at
2/1 to triumph in the Six Nations, although they also have a price of 5/1
for the Grand Slam. Given that they have to play both England and France away
from home it might not seem plausible, but Farrell has found a tune out of his
team in the early stages of his reign.
Ireland suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, exiting the tournament in the last eight for the third time in a row. The Irish were the number one ranked side heading into the World Cup and had previously recorded victories over the All Blacks in two of their previous three meetings. However, Schmidt’s men were powerless to stop New Zealand easing to 46-14 victory. It was the end of an era for Irish rugby as Schmidt departed, while captain Rory Best called time on his career.
Farrell was already announced as the replacement for Schmidt having served as defence coach for three years, and he made an immediate statement by leaving Rob Kearney, Jordi Murphy, Sean Cronin, Jack Carty and Kieran Marmion out of his first squad. Kearney was a constant presence at full-back under the tenure of Schmidt and indeed for the past 12 years, but the move to replace him with Jordan Larmour, who impressed during the World Cup was one of the many signs that the next phase of Irish rugby was well underway.
The first challenge came against Scotland on home
soil and although it was not a pretty performance, Ireland displayed
enough quality to grind out the win in Dublin. Jonny Sexton’s injury
problems in 2019 played a crucial role in the struggles of the team. However,
he was back to top form with the decisive try in the contest as well as being deadly
accurate with the boot, scoring all 19 of his side’s points in their 19-12
triumph.
Wales would provide the test of Ireland’s hopes of
winning the competition. The Dragons were unbeaten in nine Six Nations matches
heading into the contest at the Aviva Stadium. Farrell’s men needed a clinical
display and they produced an excellent attacking outing, scoring four tries
courtesy of Larmour, Tadhg Furlong, Josh van der Flier and Andrew Conway, while
Sexton knocked over two of his three conversions. Wales were a threat in the
second half, but the home side were solid in their defensive duties to keep
them at bay until the closing stages, recording a comfortable victory by
a 10-point margin.
Ireland will have to raise the level of their game on
the road. England showed signs of life after their surprise defeat to France by
beating Scotland in terrible conditions at Murrayfield. Producing back-to-back
wins at Twickenham and the Stade de France is a massive undertaking and will
provide evidence as to whether Ireland’s rebuild is progressing faster than
expected after their winter of change.
