Ireland’s attacking shape is becoming clearer
Ireland proved that they are capable of playing the game with nuance in attack evidenced in the tries but also the shape and patterns with which they went after England in a composed, focused manner, which at its core involved good decision making and execution. Andy Farrell's team put width on the game, not just in terms of moving the ball, but in the spacing of players in general attacking play, filling the pitch, layered with good fundamentals; passing and running lines. The entreaty for much of the Six Nations has been for the players to adopt a heads up, eyes up philosophy and while nothing is picture perfect, they fulfilled that remit beautifully for large swathes of Saturday's contest.
Pace went from being a weakness to a strength
One significant facilitator in Ireland’s victory was keeping the game at a reasonably high tempo when in possession, players accelerating onto passes, changing angles in contact and a commitment to keeping the ball off the ground and alive where possible. They suckered England into chasing what they believed to be ‘one out’ or solo Irish runners and as the tacklers looked to swarm the carrier, tip on passes took them out of the game and enabled Ireland to win collisions and go forward. They turned what had been a weakness in Ireland’s last four defeats against the English into a game-changing and defining strategy that underpinned the victory.
Turnovers were crucial once again
Ireland have led the tournament in this aspect of the game and once again turnovers (12) proved to be a lucrative source of possession. The facility to change momentum, to relieve pressure or suddenly get a chance to attack a team whose defensive alignment is out of kilter, is manna. Pre-game Johnny Sexton spoke about wanting to achieve more from turnovers and he’ll be reasonably pleased especially with the number of effective choke tackles; very difficult to do these days where referees are calling ‘tackle’ when a player’s leg hair brushes the turf. In transitioning to attack there’s room for further refinement but the intent and appreciation was better.
Players were comfortable to roam around
One of the most striking aspects of the performance was the interchangeable roles of the players. Several times players other than scrumhalf Conor Murray – Bundee Aki in the build-up to one try – whipped the ball away from the base of rucks to maintain the pace of an attack. Murray can’t be everywhere, nor should he always have to be, at every breakdown but this small change made a significant difference several times. Allowing Jack Conan to pop up on the touchlines in attack from time to time and Tadhg Furlong to link play are further examples of that fluidity in roles.
Coaching ticket vindicated in performance
Andy Farrell, his coaching team, captain Johnny Sexton and the players have been unanimous in trying to persuade anyone who’d listen that the work they were doing in training over the past two seasons would ultimately bear fruit as the style of play evolved and bedded in. There were several setbacks in performance terms but the mantra never changed. The doubters asked for proof and it was furnished on Saturday. It is now a benchmark for future performances. There’s still plenty to work on and lots of road to negotiate on the journey but that progression should be acknowledged in terms of the work of the players and the coaching team; Andy Farrell, Mike Catt, Simon Easterby, Paul O’Connell, John Fogarty and Richie Murphy should take a day or two to savour this latest triumph.
