Back in the grim Covid-affected echo chambers of 2021, Johnny Sexton adamantly maintained that Ireland’s attack would click despite opening Six Nations defeats against Wales and France.
The doubters abounded but Ireland reeled off wins over Italy, Scotland and England, after which Sexton could say told you so while also noting that no one believed him. With that, a golden period was up and running.
Now an assistant coach, the former captain has again expressed his belief that Ireland’s work on the training ground will soon come to fruition despite last Saturday’s 26-13 loss to New Zealand in Chicago.
In their 2022/23 pomp, at times Ireland’s attack could be virtually uncontainable. But since then, although there have been highs, it just is not as potent.
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Take games against the All Blacks. In the three-Test series in New Zealand in 2022 and that epic World Cup quarter-final defeat which ended Ireland’s 17-match winning run, Andy Farrell’s side scored a dozen tries in four meetings, ie three per game.
In the two ensuing losses to the All Blacks, Ireland scored just one try in each game.
“That’s the most disappointing thing, because what we saw in training for the last two weeks wasn’t what was reflected on Saturday,” Sexton said on Tuesday, echoing his frustration of five seasons ago.
“If you looked at those first two weeks, you’d say we’re not far away at all. If you looked at Saturday, you’d say we’re miles away. But we’re hoping that we’ll show something a bit different now this weekend against Japan and in the last two games as well.
“We’re doing a lot of work behind the scenes and making sure that that part of the game is as good as it’s ever been,” he added.
Ireland face Japan at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 12.40pm) four years on from a similar Dublin Test, following which the visitors presented Sexton with a samurai sword to mark his 100th international.
Like others, Ireland have adopted more of a kicking strategy in light of law amendments which have made aerial contests fairer, perhaps even favouring the chasers.
Ireland’s kicking game is Sexton’s primary remit, and described their kicking efforts as excellent during the 20-minute spell when they were reduced to 14.
“Despite not winning the ball cleanly in the air, they didn’t win it and we won a lot of scraps,” he said, adding he felt it kept Ireland in the game in that early spell.
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However, he said the kicking/aerial duel gave New Zealand “a lot of access in the second half,” adding: “I would say a couple of the (Irish) kicks were just a little bit too long. We didn’t quite make it a contestable and they played off the back of it.”
With that duel once more “a massive part of the game”, this should again suit Ireland given many players have a background in Gaelic football.
“I look back at 2019, when we were probably the best in the world at kicking the ball, and teams combated a way to stop us getting up after it and that was partly how the escorting came in.
“Eddie Jones seemed like he came up with it to play against us,” Sexton noted of the current Japan head coach.
There was also further evidence of Ireland adding more short-range kicking, a strength of Jack Crowley’s, in Soldier Field, albeit all four of his attacking kicks against New Zealand led to Ireland losing possession.
But Stuart McCloskey might have gathered the outhalf’s first-half cross kick if he’d been a little further upfield, and Tommy O’Brien almost scored off Crowley’s chip in the third quarter.
A deliberate gambit, or Crowley playing what he saw?
“It’s a little bit of both, really,” said Sexton. “Jack did that superbly for Munster against Leinster the week before. Maybe that was at the forefront of his mind. It wasn’t something that we overemphasised during the week, and we always judge the decisions not on the outcome, but on the decision making.
“So, was the space there? Yes. Was the accuracy there? Yeah. A little bit unlucky on one, a little bit unlucky on another, and maybe on another one we could have played the edge instead,” said Sexton.
“So, there’ll be times where we do go to it. Did we do it a little bit too much on Saturday? Maybe. But if we get a couple of better outcomes, you’d be saying it was a fantastic thing. It’s a balance, isn’t it?”
As to the wider concerns out there that this team is simply on the slide, Sexton noted: “There’s always going to be a bit of transition when you lose the number of caps and experience that you have in probably the key positions. But there wasn’t a problem when they won the Six Nations in 2024.”
Citing “amazing victories”, such as those over France and South Africa away, Sexton added: “A couple of good wins and a couple of good performances will change the narrative pretty quick I’m sure.”
Sexton also praised Crowley and Sam Prendergast saying he admires how they have coped with the pressure “not just you guys (the media), but from the country in general” over the ongoing outhalf debate.
“When you take their age and their experience, and you compare it to other outhalfs that have gone before them, they’re way ahead. I was playing AIL at Sam’s age, struggling to get on the bench for Leinster.”
“They’re going to be world-class, both of them. They’ve shown at times that they can be already. We’re very lucky to have both of them.”
