THE FAMILY MOMENTS will linger longest in the memory. That’s the stuff that matters when you strip away the trophies and tries and thrills.
Andy Farrell has created a family atmosphere in his Ireland squad and its power is clear to see in how they scramble for each other in defence and work relentlessly hard off the ball in attack. Work ethic is second nature to every one of these Grand Slam winners.
But the players and coaches were surrounded by their actual, real-life families this weekend too.
The Farrells were the shining example that life is bigger than any rugby match. To see Andy embrace his son, England out-half Owen, and ask if he was OK in the immediate aftermath of the showdown in Dublin was touching. They handled the questions about the oddity of their teams facing each other with grace over the last few days.
Owen’s sons, Tommy and Freddie, ended up wearing England jerseys to support their dad, rather than the Ireland ones Andy bought them. Owen’s boys and his wife, Georgie, stayed with Andy’s family at their home in Sandymount for the weekend. When Ireland welcomed in all the players and staff’s families to their captain’s run on Friday, Andy’s grandsons were there on the sideline. The Ireland head coach had time for a quick hug with Tommy before the training got underway.
If it was unique for Owen to grow up around his dad, just 16 years his senior, then think how cool this must all be for his two boys now. The Farrell story is the one that grabs the attention but the cherished moments were everywhere when you scanned the Aviva Stadium pitch after the final whistle.
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Johnny Sexton did a secret handshake with his son, Luca, and then lofted his daughters, Amy and Sophie, up onto his shoulders as he soaked in the joy of Ireland’s lap of honour.
Bundee Aki’s son, Andronikas, was literally a metre away on his dad’s shoulders when Sexton first lifted the Six Nations trophy into the sky. Jamison Gibson-Park’s girls, Isabella and Iris, ran to him, while Peter O’Mahony’s kids - Indie, Ralph, and Theo – clung to their father. A whole flock of kids were part of the glorious scenes.
The Sextons and the O'Mahonys. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
It must have been emotional for Andrew Porter to embrace his dad, Ernie, and two sisters, Erica and Leigh, after another tireless performance in which he did his late mother, Wendy, proud yet again.
No matter where you looked, there were Irish players emotionally and joyfully sharing special moments with their loved ones. Lifelong memories.
And once the dust settled, Ireland came back together as a rugby family. They lingered long in the changing room, wanting the moment of peaceful bliss to last forever. Then it was on to attack the night.
Yesterday, there were more joyous scenes as the Ireland U20s completed their own Grand Slam. You could feel and hear the pride coming from the stands at Musgrave Park as the families and friends of these young men willed them to finish the job.
Typically enough, they did it with a daring mindset. Led by the likes of Sam Prendergast, Brian Gleeson, Ruadhán Quinn, and Henry McErlean, this is a richly talented group. Many of them will go on to bigger and better things, some might not. They will always have the raucous scenes in Cork to call to mind.
The similarities between the senior and U20 Ireland sides are strong. They play the same way, are backed by positive coaches in Farrell and Richie Murphy, and have a togetherness that has helped them out of a few tricky spots in the last couple of months.
Opta confirmed yesterday that this is the first time ever that a nation has won the senior men’s Six Nations and U20 Six Nations in the same year. It’s also the first time that anyone has won back-to-back U20 titles.
The Ireland U20s are Grand Slam winners again. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Ireland have now won four senior Six Nations titles in the past decade, with two of them Grand Slams. That’s better than any other nation in the last 10 years. As Farrell pointed out last week, rugby is probably the fourth sport on this small island, so it’s good going.
The U20s side is a representation of a wide-ranging network of schools and clubs all over the island. Coaches and volunteers in all four corners contribute greatly to what we see in the U20s squad, that last stepping stone into the senior game. With that in mind, you can only say that Irish men’s rugby is in rude health now.
There are certainly many issues one can point to and criticise, but the proof is in the trophy cabinet on Lansdowne Road. IRFU performance director David Nucifora has attracted his fair share of criticism since coming on board in 2014 but he deserves his dues now.
This year’s World Cup and World U20 Championship are the next boxes to tick.
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A spectacular Paddy's weekend shows Irish rugby is in rude health
THE FAMILY MOMENTS will linger longest in the memory. That’s the stuff that matters when you strip away the trophies and tries and thrills.
Andy Farrell has created a family atmosphere in his Ireland squad and its power is clear to see in how they scramble for each other in defence and work relentlessly hard off the ball in attack. Work ethic is second nature to every one of these Grand Slam winners.
But the players and coaches were surrounded by their actual, real-life families this weekend too.
The Farrells were the shining example that life is bigger than any rugby match. To see Andy embrace his son, England out-half Owen, and ask if he was OK in the immediate aftermath of the showdown in Dublin was touching. They handled the questions about the oddity of their teams facing each other with grace over the last few days.
Owen’s sons, Tommy and Freddie, ended up wearing England jerseys to support their dad, rather than the Ireland ones Andy bought them. Owen’s boys and his wife, Georgie, stayed with Andy’s family at their home in Sandymount for the weekend. When Ireland welcomed in all the players and staff’s families to their captain’s run on Friday, Andy’s grandsons were there on the sideline. The Ireland head coach had time for a quick hug with Tommy before the training got underway.
If it was unique for Owen to grow up around his dad, just 16 years his senior, then think how cool this must all be for his two boys now. The Farrell story is the one that grabs the attention but the cherished moments were everywhere when you scanned the Aviva Stadium pitch after the final whistle.
Johnny Sexton did a secret handshake with his son, Luca, and then lofted his daughters, Amy and Sophie, up onto his shoulders as he soaked in the joy of Ireland’s lap of honour.
Bundee Aki’s son, Andronikas, was literally a metre away on his dad’s shoulders when Sexton first lifted the Six Nations trophy into the sky. Jamison Gibson-Park’s girls, Isabella and Iris, ran to him, while Peter O’Mahony’s kids - Indie, Ralph, and Theo – clung to their father. A whole flock of kids were part of the glorious scenes.
It must have been emotional for Andrew Porter to embrace his dad, Ernie, and two sisters, Erica and Leigh, after another tireless performance in which he did his late mother, Wendy, proud yet again.
No matter where you looked, there were Irish players emotionally and joyfully sharing special moments with their loved ones. Lifelong memories.
And once the dust settled, Ireland came back together as a rugby family. They lingered long in the changing room, wanting the moment of peaceful bliss to last forever. Then it was on to attack the night.
Yesterday, there were more joyous scenes as the Ireland U20s completed their own Grand Slam. You could feel and hear the pride coming from the stands at Musgrave Park as the families and friends of these young men willed them to finish the job.
Typically enough, they did it with a daring mindset. Led by the likes of Sam Prendergast, Brian Gleeson, Ruadhán Quinn, and Henry McErlean, this is a richly talented group. Many of them will go on to bigger and better things, some might not. They will always have the raucous scenes in Cork to call to mind.
The similarities between the senior and U20 Ireland sides are strong. They play the same way, are backed by positive coaches in Farrell and Richie Murphy, and have a togetherness that has helped them out of a few tricky spots in the last couple of months.
Opta confirmed yesterday that this is the first time ever that a nation has won the senior men’s Six Nations and U20 Six Nations in the same year. It’s also the first time that anyone has won back-to-back U20 titles.
Ireland have now won four senior Six Nations titles in the past decade, with two of them Grand Slams. That’s better than any other nation in the last 10 years. As Farrell pointed out last week, rugby is probably the fourth sport on this small island, so it’s good going.
The U20s side is a representation of a wide-ranging network of schools and clubs all over the island. Coaches and volunteers in all four corners contribute greatly to what we see in the U20s squad, that last stepping stone into the senior game. With that in mind, you can only say that Irish men’s rugby is in rude health now.
There are certainly many issues one can point to and criticise, but the proof is in the trophy cabinet on Lansdowne Road. IRFU performance director David Nucifora has attracted his fair share of criticism since coming on board in 2014 but he deserves his dues now.
This year’s World Cup and World U20 Championship are the next boxes to tick.
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Six Nations family values Grand Slammers Ireland