So, apart from St Patrick’s Day, the Cheltenham Festival and a potential Ireland grand slam in the Six Nations championship, could this week be any bigger from an Irish perspective? For aficionados of green-shirted sporting history, the answer is yes. The Ireland team has been playing international rugby for 148 years and, as yet, has never clinched a grand slam in Dublin’s fair city.
The only time it has happened previously on the island of Ireland was back in 1948 when, with the great Jackie Kyle in his pomp, Ireland beat Wales 6-3 at Ravenhill in Belfast. If that was a huge deal at the time – “If Wales don’t score again I’ll be canonised,” the Irish prop Jack Daly joked after scoring the crucial try – it will be nothing compared to the Celtic house party should the world’s No 1-ranked team complete a clean sweep at England’s expense on Saturday.
While Ireland have won more recent grand slams in Cardiff in 2009 and Twickenham in 2018, triumphing on home soil really is the oval-ball holy grail. Remarkably France and Wales have both done so four times apiece at home this century alone, while Scotland will forever cherish their timeless 1984 and 1990 heydays at Murrayfield. England have not managed it since 1995, before nine of the starting XV last Saturday were even born.
Which begs another question: could Saturday, to steal from U2’s back catalogue, be Irish rugby’s most beautiful day? Given their litany of ill-starred past World Cup campaigns, the ingredients are clearly all there. It is no minor achievement in itself to unite the four proud provinces of Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connacht in joyful communion and their local heroes are increasingly a match for any of their fabled predecessors.
The 22-7 victory in Edinburgh on Sunday, in its own way, was as impressive a display of problem-solving as international rugby has seen in recent times. Scotland are a more than decent side but Ireland still kept them at arms length despite a blizzard of injuries which eventually led to a prop, Cian Healy, filling in at hooker and a flanker, Josh van der Flier, throwing into the lineout.
The contingency planning, mental flexibility and tactical savvy that saw them pull through regardless was indicative of a team who, along with France, have vaulted clear of their other European rivals. And when France came to the Aviva Stadium last month they, too, were shredded by the fitness, force and finesse of the increasingly jolly green giants, clearly enjoying themselves under Andy Farrell.
To anoint them as already Ireland’s greatest ever team is a big call but, statistically, there is increasingly little doubt. Even when Brian O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell and co were flying in 2009 they had nothing like the depth Ireland now possess. It is interesting, too, to revisit the team sheet from Twickenham in 2018. Rob Kearney, Keith Earls and CJ Stander were all outstanding Irish servants but successors like Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen and Caelan Doris are elevating Ireland to even greater heights.
They have duly proved unbeatable in their past 13 Test matches at home, while Farrell has presided over 19 wins in 20 Six Nations home outings. Ireland have lost just twice in the past couple of years: a solitary defeat to New Zealand at Eden Park last summer before their famous overall series win and a 30-24 defeat by France in Paris last February.
All of which suggests another exceptionally tough day at the office for England this weekend. Ireland will be without the excellent Garry Ringrose, concussed against Scotland, and Iain Henderson, who has a broken arm, but this squad is a multi-headed Hydra. Jamison Gibson-Park will probably be back to supply extra zip, Peter O’Mahony has yet to take a backward step this year and Ryan Baird is a fast-rising presence. And then there is Johnny Sexton, now level alongside Ronan O’Gara as the most prolific points scorer in Six Nations history. This looks like being Sexton’s swansong in the tournament, ladling even more emotion on top of this passion-filled weekend.
As anyone who witnessed the Ireland v England game at Croke Park in 2007 can testify, Dublin is a ferociously hard place to go on such colossal days. That Saturday, because of the venue’s historical resonance, the atmosphere was as super charged as any Six Nations game has been before or since. By half-time Ireland were already 23-3 up and the final scoreline of 43-13 was arguably even more of a sobering experience for England than the 53-10 French flop last Saturday.
All the visitors can do is pick themselves up again and attempt to reconnect with the spirit of 2003, the year England and Ireland were both gunning for a grand slam at the old Lansdowne Road. Martin Johnson and his team refused to budge during the infamous red carpet stand-off before the game and the visitors were similarly immovable once the match kicked off, winning 42-6 before going on to hoist the World Cup later that year. Could Ireland repeat that feat? Complete a “greenwash” this week and they will see no reason why not.
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