BACK IN THE 1990s and 2000s, most Ireland teams would have bitten your hand off for a Triple Crown, the title having been such a rare visitor to Irish shores.
In 2004 and 2006, Irish teams delighted in securing the trophy on the back of wins over their closest rivals: Wales, Scotland, and England.
Funnily enough, both of those Triple Crown successes included wins over the English at Twickenham, as did the 2018 edition, which was naturally overshadowed by Ireland securing their third-ever Grand Slam in the same game.
There is some rain forecast for early on Sunday. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Shane Horgan’s try in the right corner in 2006 will live long in the memories of every Ireland supporter who watched it, the wing’s 79th-minute stretch to the tryline bringing the combined joy of beating England in their backyard and winning a Triple Crown.
The same prospect lies ahead for Andy Farrell’s Ireland tomorrow at Twickenham, the Englishman in line for a trophy in just his third game in charge. Of course, this is all far from a formality – England were last year’s World Cup runners-up and possess a team stacked with world-class talent even without the missing Vunipola brothers.
If Ireland can pull off an away win, the talk would swiftly turn to a possible Grand Slam, but Farrell’s players would enjoy every minute of securing silverware.
“I think it does,” said second row Devin Toner yesterday when asked if a Triple Crown still means anything to Ireland players. “I think any time that you are able to lift a trophy for your country is huge.”
Toner added that Ireland haven’t mentioned the trophy too often this week but he would love to help his country to their 12th Triple Crown.
Sitting alongside Toner yesterday was assistant coach Simon Easterby, who played at Twickenham in the 2004 and 2006 wins.
Easterby acknowledges that things were different in his playing days, while also underlining how massive an effort it takes to win in London.
“I think in my day it was… we probably didn’t have the success that team has had in the last 10 years, so Triple Crowns were precious and I think it’s what you have to do to win it,” said Easterby.
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Johnny Sexton would love to captain Ireland to silverware. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“They’re probably the fiercest rivalries against the three countries you’ve got to beat to win the Triple Crown. For this year, it’s two home games and one way and that one away is England here and we’ve done it in the past in the early 2000s.
“We came here and won the Triple Crown but in those games, it didn’t just happen, there was a huge amount of effort and work that went into receiving that trophy.
“To claim some silverware, it’s another step along the way in the progression of this team, which at the moment under Faz is still in its infancy in terms of the way we want to play.
“If there’s something up for grabs then it’s certainly something that the players will be desperate to not only win the game but, off the back of that, it’s something tangible that you can get your hands on.”
Winning at Twickenham is not an impossible task for Ireland teams, even if they have lost 45 of the 67 fixtures between the nations on English soil so far in their rugby-playing history.
In recent times, victories in 2018, 2010, 2006, and 2004 mean Irish players have experiences of playing in or at least seeing Ireland winning at Twickenham.
Today, Farrell’s men will need to be tactically and technically smart enough to manipulate Jonathan Joseph in his first Test start on the left wing, hound fullback Elliot Daly in the air, pressure Tom Curry’s control at the base of the scrum, get their ball-carriers charging at George Ford, and much more.
Maro Itoje is always a menace for England. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
But, first and foremost, they must match or better the English power. Even without the Vunipola brothers, England have dynamic threats like Maro Itoje, Kyle Sinckler, Sam Underhill, Curry, Courtney Lawes, and the returning Manu Tuilagi in midfield.
“Whenever you play England, you have got to have the physical better of them,” said Easterby. “You’ve got to get on top of them, technically, tactically. They’ve got so many threats, they always do.
“You look at the squad for tomorrow and the strength and the depth of that 6-2 bench split. It sends a bit of a message. Obviously, they did it against Scotland and the weather might have contributed to that but it’s a formidable pack and the bench as well can come on and add some real value to that.
“We’re aware we have to be close to our best in all aspects, physically in particular. Technically and very much tactically, and that’s how you beat the best teams because you win those battles more often than not.
“It’s not different from playing the top two or three sides in the world. You have to be very close to your best in lots of different areas.”
England:
15. Elliot Daly
14. Jonny May
13. Manu Tuilagi
12. Owen Farrell (captain)
11. Jonathan Joseph
10. George Ford
9. Ben Youngs
1. Joe Marler
2. Jamie George
3. Kyle Sinckler
4. Maro Itoje
5. George Kruis
6. Courtney Lawes
7. Sam Underhill
8. Tom Curry
Replacements:
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie
17. Ellis Genge
18. Will Stuart
19. Joe Launchbury
20. Charlie Ewels
21. Ben Earl
22. Willi Heinz
23. Henry Slade
Ireland:
15. Jordan Larmour
14. Andrew Conway
13. Robbie Henshaw
12. Bundee Aki
11. Jacob Stockdale
10. Johnny Sexton (captain)
9. Conor Murray
1. Cian Healy
2. Rob Herring
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Devin Toner
5. James Ryan
6. Peter O’Mahony
7. Josh van der Flier
8. CJ Stander
Replacements:
16. Ronan Kelleher
17. Dave Kilcoyne
18. Andrew Porter
19. Ultan Dillane
20. Caelan Doris
21. John Cooney
22. Ross Byrne
23. Keith Earls
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'Any time that you are able to lift a trophy for your country is huge'
BACK IN THE 1990s and 2000s, most Ireland teams would have bitten your hand off for a Triple Crown, the title having been such a rare visitor to Irish shores.
In 2004 and 2006, Irish teams delighted in securing the trophy on the back of wins over their closest rivals: Wales, Scotland, and England.
Funnily enough, both of those Triple Crown successes included wins over the English at Twickenham, as did the 2018 edition, which was naturally overshadowed by Ireland securing their third-ever Grand Slam in the same game.
Shane Horgan’s try in the right corner in 2006 will live long in the memories of every Ireland supporter who watched it, the wing’s 79th-minute stretch to the tryline bringing the combined joy of beating England in their backyard and winning a Triple Crown.
The same prospect lies ahead for Andy Farrell’s Ireland tomorrow at Twickenham, the Englishman in line for a trophy in just his third game in charge. Of course, this is all far from a formality – England were last year’s World Cup runners-up and possess a team stacked with world-class talent even without the missing Vunipola brothers.
If Ireland can pull off an away win, the talk would swiftly turn to a possible Grand Slam, but Farrell’s players would enjoy every minute of securing silverware.
“I think it does,” said second row Devin Toner yesterday when asked if a Triple Crown still means anything to Ireland players. “I think any time that you are able to lift a trophy for your country is huge.”
Toner added that Ireland haven’t mentioned the trophy too often this week but he would love to help his country to their 12th Triple Crown.
Sitting alongside Toner yesterday was assistant coach Simon Easterby, who played at Twickenham in the 2004 and 2006 wins.
Easterby acknowledges that things were different in his playing days, while also underlining how massive an effort it takes to win in London.
“I think in my day it was… we probably didn’t have the success that team has had in the last 10 years, so Triple Crowns were precious and I think it’s what you have to do to win it,” said Easterby.
“They’re probably the fiercest rivalries against the three countries you’ve got to beat to win the Triple Crown. For this year, it’s two home games and one way and that one away is England here and we’ve done it in the past in the early 2000s.
“We came here and won the Triple Crown but in those games, it didn’t just happen, there was a huge amount of effort and work that went into receiving that trophy.
“To claim some silverware, it’s another step along the way in the progression of this team, which at the moment under Faz is still in its infancy in terms of the way we want to play.
“If there’s something up for grabs then it’s certainly something that the players will be desperate to not only win the game but, off the back of that, it’s something tangible that you can get your hands on.”
Winning at Twickenham is not an impossible task for Ireland teams, even if they have lost 45 of the 67 fixtures between the nations on English soil so far in their rugby-playing history.
In recent times, victories in 2018, 2010, 2006, and 2004 mean Irish players have experiences of playing in or at least seeing Ireland winning at Twickenham.
Today, Farrell’s men will need to be tactically and technically smart enough to manipulate Jonathan Joseph in his first Test start on the left wing, hound fullback Elliot Daly in the air, pressure Tom Curry’s control at the base of the scrum, get their ball-carriers charging at George Ford, and much more.
But, first and foremost, they must match or better the English power. Even without the Vunipola brothers, England have dynamic threats like Maro Itoje, Kyle Sinckler, Sam Underhill, Curry, Courtney Lawes, and the returning Manu Tuilagi in midfield.
“Whenever you play England, you have got to have the physical better of them,” said Easterby. “You’ve got to get on top of them, technically, tactically. They’ve got so many threats, they always do.
“You look at the squad for tomorrow and the strength and the depth of that 6-2 bench split. It sends a bit of a message. Obviously, they did it against Scotland and the weather might have contributed to that but it’s a formidable pack and the bench as well can come on and add some real value to that.
“We’re aware we have to be close to our best in all aspects, physically in particular. Technically and very much tactically, and that’s how you beat the best teams because you win those battles more often than not.
“It’s not different from playing the top two or three sides in the world. You have to be very close to your best in lots of different areas.”
England:
15. Elliot Daly
14. Jonny May
13. Manu Tuilagi
12. Owen Farrell (captain)
11. Jonathan Joseph
10. George Ford
9. Ben Youngs
1. Joe Marler
2. Jamie George
3. Kyle Sinckler
4. Maro Itoje
5. George Kruis
6. Courtney Lawes
7. Sam Underhill
8. Tom Curry
Replacements:
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie
17. Ellis Genge
18. Will Stuart
19. Joe Launchbury
20. Charlie Ewels
21. Ben Earl
22. Willi Heinz
23. Henry Slade
Ireland:
15. Jordan Larmour
14. Andrew Conway
13. Robbie Henshaw
12. Bundee Aki
11. Jacob Stockdale
10. Johnny Sexton (captain)
9. Conor Murray
1. Cian Healy
2. Rob Herring
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Devin Toner
5. James Ryan
6. Peter O’Mahony
7. Josh van der Flier
8. CJ Stander
Replacements:
16. Ronan Kelleher
17. Dave Kilcoyne
18. Andrew Porter
19. Ultan Dillane
20. Caelan Doris
21. John Cooney
22. Ross Byrne
23. Keith Earls
Referee: Jaco Peyper [SARU].
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