IT’S ALMOST A full 10 years on and it was no glorious climax, but the spectre still looms large for all those with a vested interest then and now.
Jonathan Sexton, in his first season as an international, started the final round clash with Scotland in Croke Park. He can still recall the expectation, perhaps even a sense of entitlement, that came with the chance to win a Triple Crown.
O'Gara comes in to replace Sexton. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
After all, his team-mates had won a Grand Slam just a year earlier and losing at home to Scotland was barely to be countenanced.
“I remember sitting in a team talk in 2010, Declan Kidney in charge and saying, ‘Triple Crowns don’t come by easy.’
“I was sitting in a room with guys who had won multiple Triple Crowns over the previous years. I thought it was just going to happen.
“We were playing Scotland in Croke Park. And we lost…”
Under Eddie O’Sullivan, the Triple Crown – a prize that was awarded theoretically before the trophy was commissioned for 2006 – became evidence of a winning habit as three were collected in the space of four years. But Sexton would not get his hands on the big dish until 2018. And then, just as it had been in 2009, it was overshadowed by the Grand Slam.
The way the fixtures and Ireland’s form has panned out, there is a chance to put silverware on the front of the bus with two rounds to spare. That is more tantalising for the skipper than the fact that England are the opposition.
Yet the nature of the opposition necessitate the stroll down memory lane. The sweet smell of the freezing air in 2018 – the peak of the Joe Schmidt era – comes back, but it’s hard to shake the stench of home and away drubbings last winter and summer.
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Not alone did those defeats bring about severe beatings for a side shaping up to be world leaders, there was an unmistakable unraveling that came with them. Losses in February and August alike appeared to swell underlying self-doubt and brought about a spiral that flat-lined in Cardiff and then in Tokyo, or Shizuoka – take your pick.
More physicality is the answer Ireland’s on-message forwards have offered up as a solution to prevent a third straight loss to the old enemy.
“That’s what’s happened the last two times,” Sexton says, “they’ve just got on top of us in that area and it’s very hard to come back from. So yeah, it’s at the forefront.”
He added: “We all have to be as physical as we ever have been.”
Sexton balked at the notion that Ireland do not produce powerful players in the same athletic profile as England will roll out tomorrow afternoon. He reels off some of the most explosive carriers in green, but then hastens to highlight the value of brains underlying the brawn.
“Cian Healy, James Ryan, Tadhg Furlong, CJ Stander – they’re pretty physical to me. Josh is pretty physical. Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki…
“I think physically we can match them, but there are lots of things that need to go into matching them physically.
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“It’s not just charging off the line, you need to be set early, you need to be in the right position first of all. Because if you are out of position, or you let them take the edge early and get over the gainline then you’re going backwards and they’re coming on to the ball.
Winning the physical battle isn’t just about size, it’s about the little bits around that; being lower, all those things.
“I wouldn’t say they’re way bigger than us or way stronger than us, but we’re going to have to find ways to deal with their physicality and I think we’ve got some of it ourselves.”
This past fortnight has been a course correction of sorts in the overview of Andy Farrell’s team. The woes of Japan that were left lingering by a near miss with Scotland were washed away by an excellent attacking display against Wales. Then the looming presence of the World Cup finalists, despite their own bout of hiccups, placed Ireland back in underdog territory.
Take the narrower, shorter-term view, though, and you might see an Irish side regenerating confidence week on week while the under-fire Eddie Jones has a team going the other way.
“I think if you look at our performance (against Wales), I think it was pretty clear that we made strides from the Scotland game,” said Sexton.
Brian Reilly-Troy / INPHO
Brian Reilly-Troy / INPHO / INPHO
“To do that this week would be harder because England would have seen that and they’ll come hard at us, and we’ve got to figure out how to implement our gameplan on them.
“That’s where they’re really good, it’s at disrupting, and getting in amongst you and making it hard. So we’ve got to be really accurate…”
A level of accuracy, physicality and willful intent that was sorely lacking in August.
“Looking back at the games, we have had to sit back and try learn from them. It’s been pretty tough viewing but that’s what we are coming up against.
“There is no point hiding away from it. We have got it all to do. We have to figure out how we make up a 50-point margin from the last time we played them.
“It has been a good week trying to figure that out and now we will see how close we can get to them. If we can build closer than 50 points.”
The scent of silverware will surely bring them much closer.
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Sexton backs Ireland's brains and brawn as he sets sight on Triple Crown
IT’S ALMOST A full 10 years on and it was no glorious climax, but the spectre still looms large for all those with a vested interest then and now.
Jonathan Sexton, in his first season as an international, started the final round clash with Scotland in Croke Park. He can still recall the expectation, perhaps even a sense of entitlement, that came with the chance to win a Triple Crown.
After all, his team-mates had won a Grand Slam just a year earlier and losing at home to Scotland was barely to be countenanced.
“I remember sitting in a team talk in 2010, Declan Kidney in charge and saying, ‘Triple Crowns don’t come by easy.’
“I was sitting in a room with guys who had won multiple Triple Crowns over the previous years. I thought it was just going to happen.
“We were playing Scotland in Croke Park. And we lost…”
Under Eddie O’Sullivan, the Triple Crown – a prize that was awarded theoretically before the trophy was commissioned for 2006 – became evidence of a winning habit as three were collected in the space of four years. But Sexton would not get his hands on the big dish until 2018. And then, just as it had been in 2009, it was overshadowed by the Grand Slam.
The way the fixtures and Ireland’s form has panned out, there is a chance to put silverware on the front of the bus with two rounds to spare. That is more tantalising for the skipper than the fact that England are the opposition.
Yet the nature of the opposition necessitate the stroll down memory lane. The sweet smell of the freezing air in 2018 – the peak of the Joe Schmidt era – comes back, but it’s hard to shake the stench of home and away drubbings last winter and summer.
Not alone did those defeats bring about severe beatings for a side shaping up to be world leaders, there was an unmistakable unraveling that came with them. Losses in February and August alike appeared to swell underlying self-doubt and brought about a spiral that flat-lined in Cardiff and then in Tokyo, or Shizuoka – take your pick.
More physicality is the answer Ireland’s on-message forwards have offered up as a solution to prevent a third straight loss to the old enemy.
“That’s what’s happened the last two times,” Sexton says, “they’ve just got on top of us in that area and it’s very hard to come back from. So yeah, it’s at the forefront.”
He added: “We all have to be as physical as we ever have been.”
Sexton balked at the notion that Ireland do not produce powerful players in the same athletic profile as England will roll out tomorrow afternoon. He reels off some of the most explosive carriers in green, but then hastens to highlight the value of brains underlying the brawn.
“Cian Healy, James Ryan, Tadhg Furlong, CJ Stander – they’re pretty physical to me. Josh is pretty physical. Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki…
“I think physically we can match them, but there are lots of things that need to go into matching them physically.
“It’s not just charging off the line, you need to be set early, you need to be in the right position first of all. Because if you are out of position, or you let them take the edge early and get over the gainline then you’re going backwards and they’re coming on to the ball.
“I wouldn’t say they’re way bigger than us or way stronger than us, but we’re going to have to find ways to deal with their physicality and I think we’ve got some of it ourselves.”
This past fortnight has been a course correction of sorts in the overview of Andy Farrell’s team. The woes of Japan that were left lingering by a near miss with Scotland were washed away by an excellent attacking display against Wales. Then the looming presence of the World Cup finalists, despite their own bout of hiccups, placed Ireland back in underdog territory.
Take the narrower, shorter-term view, though, and you might see an Irish side regenerating confidence week on week while the under-fire Eddie Jones has a team going the other way.
“I think if you look at our performance (against Wales), I think it was pretty clear that we made strides from the Scotland game,” said Sexton.
“To do that this week would be harder because England would have seen that and they’ll come hard at us, and we’ve got to figure out how to implement our gameplan on them.
“That’s where they’re really good, it’s at disrupting, and getting in amongst you and making it hard. So we’ve got to be really accurate…”
A level of accuracy, physicality and willful intent that was sorely lacking in August.
“Looking back at the games, we have had to sit back and try learn from them. It’s been pretty tough viewing but that’s what we are coming up against.
“There is no point hiding away from it. We have got it all to do. We have to figure out how we make up a 50-point margin from the last time we played them.
“It has been a good week trying to figure that out and now we will see how close we can get to them. If we can build closer than 50 points.”
The scent of silverware will surely bring them much closer.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
6 Nations England Ireland Triple Threat Twickenham