James Lowe’s value to this Irish team has rarely been more in evidence than in last Saturday’s 32-15 win over England at Twickenham. His one-time New Zealand Maori team-mate Jamison Gibson-Park may have been chosen as the man-of-the-match but it could just as easily have been given to Lowe.
His improved work-rate and defence have been a feature of his second coming as a Test winger, but it was Lowe’s traditional virtues which shone against England. Not alone did made a phenomenal 211 metres from his 13 carries and relieve pressure on four occasions with that booming left boot of his, but his involvements were usually timely and telling.
To begin with, of course, there was his 40-metre finish from Josh van der Flier’s pass moments after Gibson-Park had gone back to the left-hand side with his skip pass to Dan Sheehan, and even this attack emanated from the turnover he won near the Irish 22 when Harry Randall had tapped and sniped.
“I was thinking for the try that I should have run under the posts, for one; I also should have put the ball down with two hands, that’s what I always tell every kid, to put the ball down with two hands!
“But it was awesome. We’ve been working on our interplay for the whole time we’ve been together.
“I think Sheeno threw an inside ball to Josh and Josh went through a hole, he faked to go inside but went on the outside and I was lucky to be on the end of it, I didn’t do too much.
“Yeah it was an awesome start in a tough environment and then we put ourselves under pressure, we gave them a few piggybacks up the field, it felt like we kept them in the game. And credit to them, they took their opportunities and it felt like we played all the rugby and it was 15-all and it was just like, ‘how did that happen?’
“But that’s credit to them, they’re a fantastic side. We were happy to finally break them down.”
Lowe was sometimes used as a first receiver or a target runner through the middle and he came in sharply off his wing, after one of innumerable high takes by Hugo Keenan, to make another clean break early in the second half.
His capacity to stay strong in the narrowest of corridors along the left touchline is remarkable and while he may have been culpable for one of the five offloads in the English 22 which didn’t go to hand, Jack Conan’s try most likely wouldn’t have been possible without Lowe twice generating go-forward ball out of very little in that match-winning 13-phase attack.
Finally, there was that strong carry off Conor Murray’s pass following an Irish maul which led to the bonus-point try by Finlay Bealham.
It had been more of a white-knuckle ride than the team or their supporters would have wanted, and Lowe admitted the feeling afterwards was a much one of relief.
“It’s a Test match at Twickenham. England aren’t going to go away, which is a huge credit to a fantastically well-drilled side. We knew if we just stuck to what we do well – playing to space early, getting set, our forwards playing square, our backs turning the corners – we could create chances.
“We created a lot of chances. We also threw a lot of chances away, myself as well. I’m pretty frustrated with a few things that happened and Monday we’ll be back at the drawing board with a different piece around the corner, Scotland at home, and I’m looking forward to that.”
Ultimately, Ireland’s core of experienced players, both starting and finishing, gave them the composure to come through a mini crisis, as Lowe suggested in his own inimitable way.
“Mate, our captain is 40-years-old. Pete is in his late 30s as well I think. You’ve got experience coming off the bench in [Conor] Murray. I think we had four Lions on the bench, maybe five, so there’s no need to be panicky when you know those boys are coming on.”
