Ireland lose grip on Grand Slam in solemn but familiar fashion | Six Nations 2024

timeIn his day there will be no more comfort or encouragement than there once was. There’s no “Well done, lad.” There is no “good process” or “huge effort.” They can’t spin the narrative that this is an evolving team facing tougher opponents and, you know, ultimately what matters at this stage is performance. It was just another defeat for Ireland at Twickenham, and somehow this one seemed to sting more than most others. When you’re trying to hit a second major in a row, these are just breaks.

The days leading up to this game were filled with anticipation. That in itself is still something new for an Irish team on an English pitch. Just like the arrogance common in all normal places. Jamie Heaslip asserts Ireland need to reduce their field to 13 men for England to win. There was a lot of talk in the Irish media about ending the Championship with four try bonus points – at least until Scotland’s error earlier in the afternoon.

But for those who remember those bad times, Twickenham was never going to be easy prey. Gray’s memory is too profound. A series of fiascos in the 1980s and 1990s. Eight wooden spoons from 1919. The Six Nations era began with a 50-18 defeat, raising serious questions about Ireland’s ability to compete. In 2002, Jonny Wilkinson was hammered 45-11, after which Eddie O’Sullivan stood up and said enthusiastically that “our second half effort probably just kept the score down” ”.

Today, Ireland no longer fights for a costly or moral victory. They no longer arrive with high hopes. On a pale Saturday night, the view in west London is picture-perfect, green shoals swimming among white jerseys and waxy jackets. This is also something that has changed over the decades. This Irish team has an entourage of thousands of people. Meanwhile, England were surfing a strange wave of insurgent energy and sensed an opportunity for destruction too great to miss.

While Ireland are more comfortable with the favorites tag these days, there are still games and moments within those games where you can squeeze their pressure points and take them out of their comfort zone. Perhaps such a moment came midway through the second half, with captain Peter O’Mahony receiving a yellow card on the touchline, the home crowd erupting and Andy Farrell coming off the bench to make the score 6-2 as Calvin Nash and Serbian Lan’s injuries were exposed. Frawley.

Frawley himself replaced Nash, who moved to second after taking a horrific hit from the running Tommy Freeman. His departure now forces Jamison Gibson-Parker out wide, with Conor Murray in the scrum half. Ireland looked really disorganized in the next few minutes, with intense pressure from England eventually leading to Ben Earl’s collapse with 20 minutes remaining. Lowe responded with a brilliant score after Hugo Keenan’s brilliant lob. Crowley missed a crucial transition.

Despite this, England still seem to be running and teams are still trying. Ireland were fortunate to take the lead at half-time after dominating possession and territory. Maybe it seems to lull them into some false sense of security. Against England’s supremacy, Ireland perfectly refused to panic and still carried on with their process, essentially losing control of the game in a very dignified manner. Farrell refused to allow the striker to come on as a substitute before the end of the game.

It was a familiar script against New Zealand in the World Cup quarter-finals, a game where Ireland seemed to be where they wanted to be until the moment they lost. Could Ireland be a little more urgent in these crucial times? Are they trying too hard to control the tempo of the game and leaving themselves exposed when England push the tempo? These questions will test Farrell and his team in the coming days.

O’Mahony’s game was terrible, but he was at least right about one thing. “In this game, it’s very difficult to win away from home at any stadium,” he said in the build-up to the game. “Sure, we’ve had some wins here. But you look at them and we’ve got to play incredibly well.” Yeah, nice try, you thought at the time. But this isn’t false modesty: O’Mahony is simply aware that for any Irish team, the next border is always the toughest.

Ireland will fight back hard. There’s still a title to be won against Scotland next weekend and for all the issues that have gone wrong here, there’s still a lot that’s gone right over the past few years. Perhaps this defeat will hasten the transition to a younger generation, with players like Ryan Baird having been patiently waiting for his chance. The bright side is that they won’t be playing in the World Cup quarter-finals again for at least the next three years.