NOTHING SHARPENS THE mind for a rugby player like actually playing.
Johnny Sexton admits that, even in the lead-up to last week’s Six Nations win over Italy, he was conscious of fluffing his lines. Pesky Leinster calls wriggled their way to the tip of his tongue, muddying waters and slowing the rhythm while he made the effort to keep clarity coming in attack.
“I think the way we trained today was a lot better than last Tuesday,” Sexton said in the captain’s new standing media engagement.
At times last week in training there’s a couple of Leinster calls that are slipping into the mind and you’re calling them out and lads are looking at you. It’s very hard to get them out of your head.
“I think this week is obviously more comfortable. We’re properly in Ireland mode and I think we trained much better today and had a much better start to the week. Hopefully we can continue that tomorrow and just build as the week goes on.”
With Sexton behind the mic and France in Paris ahead, the spectre of his sensational winning drop-goal against Les Bleus in 2018 was raised more than once to the out-half. He says it has not been a source Ireland have looked to tap for inspiration. Little wonder. A win would be worth celebrating, but another try-less return would not deliver what Ireland are aiming to achieve this weekend.
Assuming England will score at least four tries in beating Italy, Andy Farrell’s side need the same in Paris. Perhaps it was with this in mind that the new head coach and attack coach Mike Catt set up the side to play with greater width. Calls for players to trust instincts out of structure and back their own decision-making manifested, against Italy, in attacks from deep and a very noteworthy offload from Peter O’Mahony.
“I know that we didn’t offload a lot,” says Sexton with a wry smile, “but Joe (Schmidt) never said ‘don’t offload’. It was the decision-making process.
“I suppose the way we have a better shape across the field at the moment will allow guys more opportunity to do that because the defence will probably be spread out a bit more.”
“Sometimes our attack over the last couple of years was very narrow and obviously when you’re running into brick walls and big men, we’re not the biggest team, so we need space to be able to offload.”
“So you saw a few bits and pieces on Saturday, but we don’t go out there thinking about offloading, you go out there to think about playing into space, and if the opportunity presents itself well then it’s great and it can work.”
France may well line up with a similar attacking approach. While Shaun Edwards’ defence is an impressive new addition for Les Bleus in this campaign, the DNA of their attack under Fabien Galthié is what Sexton calls ‘pure French’.
“That offloading game, I know from my time there, they call it the duels where they rely on beating you one-on-one, they get that pass away into the space.
“That’s their game really. They like to play quick, offload, dominate in the collisions and in defence they bring line speed.
“They are clever with how they play. They don’t play too much in their own half and they tend to kick a lot of ball long and keep the ball in.
“So, we probably won’t have that many line-outs. Luckily we had a bit of practice last week with Italy, who did the exact same to us.”
Similar approach perhaps, but a very different shade of blue for Ireland to overcome.
Dublin would have been perfect. No problem for the athletes sourcing drugs.
The Olympics in Dublin……. Hahahahaha…..
Can’t get 6 Garth Brooks concerts sorted but can do the Olympics?? Yeah…..nah.
Haha brilliant. No other city had drugs problems. That’s why it’s so funny
Would have got it if we had included a decent bribes committee
Here we go again the auld Irish attitude laughng at such a bid. We have some marvelous rivers that would be brilliant for the canoeing. Brilliant golf courses. We have an 85,000 capacity stadium for track and field. We have the Aviva for the soccer, I am sure one of our many 30,000 + GAA Stadia could be used for sevens rugby. The 3 Arena for boxing. The list goes on. We could and we should be hosting an Olympics, World Cup and Euros.
Where is this 85,000 seat track and field stadium?!! Because croagh park doesn’t have a track last time I looked.
I do think holding the Olympics would be a stretch too far for a country of 4.6 million, however at the same time we do seriously need to shake off the small town attitude we have. Any badly needed major infrastructure project is often met with laughs of “ah shur what do we need that for you’d swear we’re all living in New York” or something along those lines.
Perhaps holding the Rugby World Cup would be a very achievable aim that would help people become a little bit more ambitious about the development of this country.
Yes and where were we going to get the money for revamping crokepark and the other stadiums? The Olympic village would be a bit of a problem don’t you think and families homeless? Not too mention the money that would have to be spent on public transport and infastruture in order to be even considered.
And plenty of turnstiles for the hurdle races
Don’t we have every nationality living in Dublin
Just organize them
Just alone regarding Croke Park:
Despite now being Europe’s 3rd largest stadium and sandwiched between two railway lines, it does not have even one railway station.
Moreover, a railway station was supposed to be provided when the stadium was redeveloped.
Yet strangely, when the GAA redeveloped above the railway tracks a few years ago, the station was never built – but CIE got two corporate boxes for heart own private use.
Now the GAA are baffled as to why the natives object when events such as concerts are proposed, yet all the while, the main and most obvious problem is movement of people – i.e. a transport issue.
If those in authority are too arrogant or oblivious so as to provide such obvious facilities – where infrastructure is already present regarding one stadium – it can only be considered a great blessing that Dublin was not burdened with further incompetence that would have happened with Olympics.
Engage brain before posting Phil. The article says back in the early 90′s we had no infrastructure. Most of the golf courses you refer to along with croke park the aviva the national aquatic centre were not built. Gay Mitchell was a gob sh**e back then and still is. Thankfully the people saw that when he went for president. Again I point out we had nothing as CJ had spent everything and hived it off for himself and his cronies.
It would’ve been our best chance at getting GAA into the Olympics…
Yes. We could’ve competed against ourselves. Guaranteed gold.
The Aussies would probably beat us in the football though
Poor old DOB would have made an absolute fortune in renting out his barriers – I bet you he is still wringing his hands and crying into his brandy over missing out.
That feasibility study must have cost a bit.
We couldn’t hold a Web summit
With the politicians in Ireland they would be off and running with all Comercial profits before the competition even started. A joke, the whole concept in the banans republic that the Irish politicians have shafted to their own gain going back to De Valera’s time. Tony Gregory was the last true Irish politician with integrity but then he didn’t have much competition
Gay mitchell is a populist. He wanted the headlines but never intended to host anything
I’m not sure how the beach volleyball would have fared on Dollymount Strand with the cold cold, wind and showers.
People thought it was a joke because it was a joke
Gay Mitchell is one of the biggest toolbags this country ever had, the first mainstream party candidate in the history of the state to lose his deposit when he ran for the Presidency !! His idea was completely mad & wasted a load of money at a time when the country hadn’t an ass in it’s pants. Deserves to be punched everytime he shows his weasel face in public !
Gay Mitchell is dead, have a pinch of respect ffs.
Gay Mitchel is not dead. His brother Jim is.
The poor of Brazil will suffer for decades because of the money they had to out into hosting it. No thanks leave it to bigger nations that have the money.
Olympics are a giant money pit. Way this county is we’re very lucky someone came to their senses and said no
It was a ridiculous idea, then same as now.
Irwin accused Mick Wallace of looking like a tramp. I can never listen to his west Brit voice after that. He also used his charity to run for the seanad.
The Dublin Dons would have been great
Cheaper to host than the recent bailout
well glad that didn’t go ahead would haven been yet more money spent on Dublin and the rest of the country shafted again! Dublin produces a log of gdp for Ireland…which is not a surprise given all development takes place there and so many people from outside sublime have had to move there dubliners can’t afford a house anymore. How ironic.
Dreaming in that is like Leitrim winning the all Ireland!
Amazing how public money can be spent on the ridiculous and it seem to be a relentless trait by the buffoons in power.