Andy Farrell’s men are deservedly favourites for France while England must learn quickly from their disappointing Six Nations
grand slam and followed it up by hoisting the World Cup in the same calendar year can be counted, for now, on a solitary English finger. Even as Ireland’s players, coaches and supporters celebrated a famous achievement on Saturday night, though, they were already raising their eyes to the horizon and asking if something brighter might yet materialise.
Most striking of all, perhaps, was their defensive solidity. Ireland conceded just six tries in their five games, taking to a miserly 10 their combined tally in the last two Six Nations campaigns. Compare and contrast with England who conceded an unprecedented 18 tries this year alone. As England continue to lament Freddie Steward’s red card in Dublin, it is also worth mentioning that no Irish player received a card of any sort in the entire tournament.
Much, of course, can change in six months but the gap between the northern and southern hemisphere is shrinking to the point of invisibility. If anyone is going to upset the Irish it will probably be France, hosts of the World Cup when it kicks off on 8 September. France scored an average of 4.2 tries per game, a new personal best, in the most high-scoring Six Nations season on record and they likewise have not yet hit their absolute ceiling.
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