FOUR WINS FROM five games certainly isn’t a disastrous return for Ireland in this Six Nations, all the more so when you factor in that they claimed a Triple Crown.
That tally of four wins, three of them with try-scoring bonus points, was enough for Ireland to win the Six Nations last year.
The problem this time around was that France and England were better. Whereas they only won three games each in 2024, the French and English enjoyed four victories apiece this year. Les Bleus would be celebrating a Grand Slam but for their wastefulness in Twickenham.
So it’s fair to say that the opposition got better, France especially. Their victory in Dublin was impressive and they appear to be well set to go on a good run in the next few years. It’s crazy to think that this was just their second Six Nations title since 2010 but they clearly have the potential to change that trend.
England’s campaign this year started with defeat in Dublin but they improved during the championship. There was fortune in the win over France but plenty of grit and class too. Lots of their players’ form grew through the Six Nations and they finished by obliterating Wales.
Ireland’s performances were mixed. There were spells of excellent stuff but never as consistently as was the case when they hit what we can clearly now say was their peak in 2023. And there were some poor patches in all five games.
The coaches and players in this squad have helped to elevate the expectations in Irish rugby to an all-time high. That’s a positive thing. Irish players fear no team and have no sense of an inferiority complex. Supporters believe their side can beat anyone.
The problem with setting new expectations is the disappointment that comes when you don’t reach the standard you and everyone else feel you’re capable of. Sometimes staying at the top table is just as hard as getting there.
And that’s the case in this Six Nations. Ireland did loads of good things but also fell short of their potential in other moments. There was never any lack of effort from Ireland. In fact, it looked like they were trying too hard to make things happen on occasion.
There’s no doubt that they lacked some of the fine precision and slick execution that had become key characteristics of Ireland’s play. It was rare enough in recent years that you could criticise Ireland for sloppy play but there were several instances of that on both sides of the ball in this Six Nations.
It was always going to be a challenge driving on without Andy Farrell but let’s not forget that he was still around for a November Tests campaign that left Ireland and their supporters underwhelmed. Three wins from four games was a fine return but the Irish set-up felt their performances were lacking.
That will be true again when the dust settles on this Six Nations campaign, all the more so given that the last block of games against France and Italy was the most disappointing one.
They have not become a bad team, far from it. Small moments can make a big difference and Ireland don’t need to undergo a complete revolution. Some sharpening up will go a long way.
Ireland’s phase-play attack is one area that could do with evolving. Judged purely on match-day execution, the detail has dipped. When he’s around, Farrell is hands-on with that element of Ireland’s game and he previously guided it to world-leading levels.
Ireland have seemingly refocused on their kicking game and there was some excellent stuff in that regard during the Six Nations, but their phase-play attack was more error-prone than has been the case in the past.
The same could be said about Ireland’s defence at times, with Simon Easterby surely stretched as he took on head coaching responsibilities as well as his usual job with the defence. Having conceded just six and then seven tries in their last two Six Nations campaigns, Ireland gave up 14 this time.
But really one can pick out flaws in all aspects of Ireland’s game at different stages. Most frustrating for them was that they often backed up errors with another error soon after. Again, that habit of compounding mistakes is something that this Irish side had worked so hard to rid themselves of.
There is always talk of completely rebuilding the squad at times like these but that can’t be the case with Irish rugby having such a small player pool. It seems that people are quicker to retire players over the age of 30 than ever nowadays despite many players’ ability to perform at the top level well into their mid-30s.
With Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray, and Cian Healy following Johnny Sexton and Keith Earls into retirement, it’s probably as important as ever that Ireland retain experienced campaigners.
What is always an important mission for Ireland is creating as much genuine competition for places as possible.
So it was positive that Jack Boyle won his first two caps and showed his potential at loosehead prop, while Sam Prendergast, Thomas Clarkson, Gus McCarthy, and Jamie Osborne all played in the Six Nations for the first time.
The summer tour to Georgia and Portugal will allow another crop of young players to put their hands up in a green jersey.
Most of that touring squad will be made up of players who have already got a taste of what’s involved in Ireland camp, whether with the senior squad, Emerging Ireland, or the Ireland A squad that played against England recently. There was one stage during this Six Nations when a total of 71 players were training at the IRFU’s high performance centre. That should help with the next steps.
Those two games in July will be full Tests but there’s no doubt the tour will have a developmental feel with a fresh-looking squad of players and a fresh coaching staff, given that Farrell is expected to bring some of his assistants on the Lions tour.
It will be Saturday 1 November in Chicago when we next see a full-strength Ireland side playing and Farrell will appreciate the need to hit the ground running, particularly with the Wallabies and Springboks coming to Dublin in the weeks that follow.
There will be less than two years until the 2027 World Cup at that stage and while no one wants to peak too early, Ireland will be keen to show that their mixed performances in this 2024/25 season were a temporary blip rather than a sign of more lasting decline.
Excellent article Murray. It’s the passing that’s concerning. A basic skill, you would assume at this level it certainly ought to be dealt with in training as regards timing. It can’t be perfect in training & poor in matches. So where are the standards vs Joe time when was non negotiable. Jamie O is young but a poor passer when moving and evident since his Leinster debut. We rarely pass in front of each other, almost always static in receiving, and when there is a 1st phase move, it gets stuck in midfield on contact. Bar Hugo try v Italy, very little innovation, attempts to do so. Extremely low risk rugby SA aside, since RWC. And while we love Hugo, nothing in attack from returned kicks. Little evidence Andrew Goodman was the right choice. You can swap the above comments for Leinster too.
@Mark Kearney: agree and add the waning of our ‘power game’ – that’s another point of difference for France and England and why they both ‘destroyed’ Wales and we didn’t.
@Mark Kearney: good point. Lancaster was really hot on passing accuracy and that meant the majority of players coming into Ireland camp under him were on top of their skills. Connacht also playing attacking style since Lam. New Munster/Ulster coaches also emphasize ball handling. I think the change in style at Leinster is really having a big impact on IRL attack. Leinster players concentrate on chasing kicks and being aggressive in défense. Leinster’s attack has been really poor these last 2 seasons but their brilliant defense means they still win. Cc LRO game was case in point. Irelands last 2 6n’s were also built on solid defense btw. People like to praise the IRL attack but it’s our defence was the foundation of our attack. We conceded more tries this 6n’s than in the last 2 combined.
The key statistic is professional playing numbers. In Ireland, we have 180, France, and England have very many more. It’s probably 8 to 10 times more, especially in France. Long-term strategy is surely to have a fifth team probably off the island.
@D Farrell: agree, but we have what we have. We have to revert to having a point of difference, back to most of Joe’s time in Lein & Ireland, was passing. That you can do with existing structure, if you first accept there is an issue. I don’t think we do, and poor standards are accepted across the provinces. That’s on the coaches, and players wanting to improve.
@D Farrell: Wishful thinking, I fear. The revenue to support a 5th team does not exist. Frankly I doubt whether we have the revenue to support four. Especially if the growth of Women’s pro rugby is already acting like an additional province in terms of its financial impact
I haven’t gone back to check but I imagine what has been said (by both fans and media) about this Ireland team/players/coaches is nothing compared to what the French will have had to put up with when we did them last season. They didn’t go through a massive clean out, and I don’t think we need to either. The other provinces other than Leinster do need to pull their socks up though.
It’s no coincidence our attack faltered when Andy Farrell was away. I think it’s forgotten that he is heavily involved in Irelands innovative attack plays and his absence definitely affected this. Also it’s worth mentioning Catt started very poorly with Ireland and became instrumental in our brilliant attack over the last few years. Maybe Goodman needs time to bed in also
Being third in what many considered a two horse race can’t be considered a success .
However it reflects the approach of the Irish management based on defence . Both Irish wings selection and reputations based on their performance on a catch and kick game .
But teams have stopped kicking deep as blocking in front of the catcher is penalized and the objective is to ensure the ball is behind the defending pack . Thus the reason to pick paceless wings no longer exists .
As previously noted 9 of the 23 are over 30 whose best games are behind them .
I considered that this was last 6 nations for more than PoM Murray and Healy and the preference for Leinster Blue was undeserved by several players .
@SAMUEL T McGLADERY: Who do you think should have been picked on the wings instead of Hansen and Lowe?