RUGBY
Ireland lift 6 Nations Championship but have Grand Slam in their sights
By Daire Walsh
At the end of a weekend when all the permutations worked their favour, Ireland have claimed the Six Nations title for the third in five seasons.
England’s surprise defeat to Scotland in the Calcutta Cup two weeks earlier raised the possibility of Ireland developing an unassailable lead at the summit of the table – even if the Scots were in a buoyant mood on their journey to Dublin.
After Joe Schmidt’s side claimed a 28-8 bonus-point victory at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon, England needed to match this result in Paris to remain in contention for a third consecutive Six Nations crown.
Yet, the anticipated backlash from Eddie Jones’ squadrons never materialised, as they suffered a six-point reversal (22-16) to a pumped up France. Though their impressive form in November’s Guinness Series made them one of the major contenders for this year’s competition, nobody expected Ireland to have sown up the Championship with a round to play.
There is still a Grand Slam and Triple Crown on the line in Twickenham on Saturday, and this current group appear hell-bent on replicating the feats of the famed Class of 2009.
Yet, whereas Declan Kidney had a relatively full hand to pick from nine years ago, Schmidt has had to contend with a host of injuries in recent weeks. Chris Farrell was the latest casualty for this game, which opened the door for Garry Ringrose’s return to the starting line-up.
The Leinster man was the third player to partner Bundee Aki in the Irish midfield, after his provincial team-mate Robbie Henshaw and the aforementioned Farrell. Ringrose’s return to fitness was a timely boost for Ireland, and he delivered an outstanding display in the outside channel.
Scotland drew first blood in the shape of a Greig Laidlaw’s penalty, before another intercept try by the in-form Jacob Stockdale got the hosts up and running. The Lisburn native has been a revelation since making his debut in last year’s summer tour to the US and Japan.
Indeed, following superb approach work from Ringrose, he claimed his 10th try in just eight international appearances at the end of the opening half. This helped Ireland to bring a 14-3 lead into the break, which was increased on the restart with another converted effort by Conor Murray. Blair Kinghorn’s 52nd-minute try offered Scotland some respite, only for replacement hooker Sean Cronin to seal maximum points for Ireland in the final-quarter. Athy’s Joey Carbery deputised for Jonathan Sexton (who converted all four tries) as Ireland closed out the game in clinical style.
The Ireland U20s were also triumphant against their Scottish counterparts on Friday night at Donnybrook. Tries in each half by Jack O’Sullivan propelled Ireland to a 30-25 success, with Naas’ Jordan Duggan enjoying an 18-minute cameo in the Irish front-row.
However, there was disappointment for the Ireland Women at the same venue on Sunday afternoon, when they suffered a surprise 15-12 defeat at the hands of Scotland.