Six Nations Preview: Ireland
Last up in our set of previews ahead of the Six Nations we examine the prospects of the defending champions, Joe Schmidt’s Ireland.
Under the expert guidance of head coach Schmidt, Ireland have become a genuine force in world rugby and they will be quietly confident of making it back-to-back tournament wins.
Their November Test programme cemented their status as the world’s second best team and they delivered a superb performance in a memorable win over the world champions, New Zealand, and also notched impressive victories over Argentina, Italy and the USA.
As Six Nations champions, they will be the side which all the other teams want to beat but Ireland have shown over the past year that they are a well-oiled machine with several world class players and plenty of depth in their ranks.
Schmidt’s men start the Six Nations favourites but know they will have to be at their best in all matches if they want to defend their title and possibly claim another Grand Slam.
Last year: The men from the Emerald Isle may have clinched the Grand Slam but that feat almost didn’t happen as they made a shaky start to the tournament. Only a sensational last-gasp drop goal from Johnny Sexton secured them a 15-13 win over France in their tournament opener at the Stade de France in Paris.
They got stronger as the tournament progressed and delivered a superb all-round display in their next match – a 56–19 victory over Italy at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin – before defeating Wales 37-27 at the same venue.
Ireland then played their third successive home fixture and once again they were successful courtesy of a deserved 28-8 triumph over Scotland, which set up their date with destiny in the Grand Slam-deciding match against England at Twickenham.
Schmidt’s charges held their nerve and delivered a dominant display in that fixture to claim a 24-15 victory on St Patrick’s Day which secured only their third Grand Slam in history.
This year: With this being Schmidt’s last Six Nations as their head coach – after announcing that he will step down from his position when their World Cup campaign ends – there will be plenty of motivation amongst the players to send him off on a high.
Ireland have a much tougher draw than last year – when they played three games in a row at home – and, although their first game is in Dublin against England, it will be a tricky assignment as their opponents showed signs of improvement during the November Tests.
They then head to Murrayfield, where another tough challenge awaits against a very good Scotland side, before facing Italy in Rome and France in Dublin – matches which they should win with ease.
Their final fixture will be a potential tournament decider in Cardiff against Wales, who have made great strides recently and are currently ranked third in the world.
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Key players: It is all about the half-back positions for Ireland with Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton crucial to how they function. Although Joe Schmidt’s men did very well in November without the services of Murray, the Munster player is clearly number one in his position, while Sexton’s quality has been shown after he was named World Player of the Year.
Joey Carbery appears to be a genuine rival for the fly-half shirt after performing excellently for his province in the Champions Cup, but he perhaps doesn’t bring the same game-management skills as the Leinsterman.
Elsewhere, Jacob Stockdale has become one of the deadliest finishers in world rugby and will be looking to build on his displays from last year where he touched down seven times – a Six Nations record – and was named Player of the Tournament.
Players to watch: Bundee Aki should start in midfield with Leinster’s Garry Ringrose, who will be hoping to transfer his superb attacking form from the PRO14 and Champions Cup to the Test arena.
With veteran openside flanker Sean O’Brien set to return to international action after an injury lay-off, Ireland supporters will be relishing the prospect of seeing him line-up alongside Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander in Ireland’s back-row.
O’Brien’s lack of game-time could mean that he starts the tournament opener on the replacements bench – with Josh van der Flier set to wear the number seven jersey – but O’Brien’s experience and excellent breakdown and defensive work makes him a vital cog in the Irish wheel.
Stander is another one to keep an eye on with his prowess as a ball carrier important to the cause, while Tadhg Furlong‘s contribution in the tight exchanges will also be crucial.
Meanwhile, young second-row James Ryan will be keen to continue with his superb form and his role in the team, along with Devin Toner, will have extra significance after Ireland lost the services of fellow locks Iain Henderson and Tadhg Beirne – for the opening rounds – to injury.
Prospects: Although Ireland are expected to defend their title, they have a tougher draw than last year and much will depend on their opening fixture against England and their last match against Wales.
Although they should win their opener at home, they could stumble at the final hurdle in Cardiff which will wreck their Grand Slam ambitions. Despite that, they will still finish in first spot.
Fixtures:
Saturday, February 2 v England (Aviva Stadium)
Saturday, February 9 v Scotland (Murrayfield)
Sunday, February 24 v Italy (Stadio Olimpico)
Sunday, March 10 v France (Aviva Stadium)
Saturday, March 16 v Wales (Principality Stadium)