It is fair to say it hasn’t been a bad year for Irish rugby.
A Grand Slam, capped off by a crushing victory at Twickenham – a mean feat for any side – topped a tremendous season.
A series victory down in Australia, territory long-considered insurmountable by the men from the Emerald Isle.
An autumn (admittedly against less ferocious opposition than in years gone by) that nonetheless brought four wins from four, with the jewel in the crown being a fully-deserved and not unexpected victory over the world champion All Blacks.
That’s one hell of a scoresheet, no matter how you look at it.
It is only fair to look at that victory over New Zealand as the ultimate barometer of where Ireland currently stand in the world game.
I do not say the following sentence lightly but here goes – with that victory, I too was converted to the message that Steve Hansen gave (with what intention I do not know) after Ireland’s 16-9 win that Ireland had taken the mantle as the best team in the world.
I’ll give you a minute for that to sink in.
The reason that I have come to regard Ireland as the best team in the world – and I use the word ‘team’ instead of ‘side’ or any such equivalent deliberately, which will come up later – is twofold.
Firstly comes the impression that I took away from Ireland’s victory in the Aviva Stadium in late November – that Ireland could turn up on any given Sunday and put in a performance of equivalent quality so as to turn over the long-standing benchmark for international rugby.
Many have said that it was a truly wonderful performance from Ireland but I don’t buy that.
What I saw from Ireland on that day is about what I would have expected from them – superior game management, remarkable defensive intensity, impeccable discipline and the hearts of lions.
The sight of Peter O’Mahony racing back to cover a kick that seemed a mile beyond him was the perfect encapsulation of what Irish rugby now stands for.
The second reason I now regard Ireland as the best team in the world is that the quality they possess goes so far beyond the starting XV that takes to the field.
I have talked previously about the strength in depth that Wales are starting to cultivate but this process has been in the works in Ireland for years and it is showing now.
The side that took the field against the USA a week after the victory over New Zealand showed 14 changes and they still managed to put 57 points past incredibly competitive opponents. That shows you not only that Ireland have a plethora of talent in their ranks, but that the lessons that Joe Schmidt and his coaching staff have taught the national team have trickled all the way down.
The team have become an all-encompassing mentality that even New Zealand would now regard with a jealous eye.
Ireland were mightily impressive in their upset win over the All Blacks. (Photo: AP/Peter Morrison)
This brings me to the crux of this Irish success – the coaching team. Joe Schmidt has not only solidified his reputation, he has taken it into another stratosphere from where it was when he took the job.
The Kiwi, with a permanent sparkle in his eye, has stripped back Irish rugby and built it anew from the ground up and in the process laid the foundations for a powerhouse rugby nation that could stand for many years to come.
The fate of those foundations, after the announcement of Schmidt’s impending departure from the Irish setup after the forthcoming World Cup, now rests in the hands of Schmidt’s loyal deputy and his chief enforcer, Andy Farrell.
There has been a general tendency for my money to ignore Farrell’s significance to what Ireland have achieved this year behind the (totally deserving) praise being heaped on Schmidt.
However, it is my firm belief that Andy Farrell is the secret weapon of this Irish juggernaut.
Let us examine recent history for a moment. Farrell has beaten New Zealand three times now, each time with a different side. Each time, the defence of the side he has coached has been the defining factor in the game.
When New Zealand came to Dublin, not only did they leave the field with no tries to their name but they didn’t even look at any point in the game as though they would trouble the scorers.
Before that game, you would have to go back to 2017 to see when New Zealand failed to register a try in a game. That was the third Test against the Lions, who had beaten them the week before to level the series and were coached in defence by…Andy Farrell.
These types of trends are not coincidences. Farrell has cracked the code to building a defence to contain any side in the world.
It is built on two surprisingly basic pillars – the first being extraordinary intensity in terms of line speed, tackle success and just the level of commitment his players show to the plan, and the second being faultless discipline in terms of their offside lines, their communication and spacing and their work at the breakdown.
What Farrell has got that no other team does, however, is that he has a defensive gameplan that can beat any team in the world – because there is no one set gameplan.
Those two pillars of intensity and discipline are universal in any successful defence but because Farrell is assured of those qualities from his players, having drilled it into them and not stopped until they do it in their sleep, he is able to tweak the specifics of his plan to combat the particular opposition.
There can be no arguing that this is working. We saw evidence of it against New Zealand as he used Rob Kearney expertly to expose Damian McKenzie aerially on both sides of the ball – thereby taking away a major New Zealand weapon and giving them much less clean ball to work with.
He turned the line speed up to eleven to rush the Kiwi backline and force them deeper, robbing them of momentum and space while also bringing Kearney up shallower behind the defensive line to nullify the chip-and-chase.
However, I thought the greatest trick of that night came with their tackling technique.
James Ryan is one of the few second-rowers to have got the better of Brodie Retallick. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Farrell was not afraid to get defenders to double-team the ball carrier in the tackle – initially going low in as superior a display of chop-tackling as I have seen for some time and having a second defender coming in on the chest to nullify their famous offloading game.
Doubly, he trusted the fitness and commitment of his players enough to know that the player tackling the chest would either release as the player went to ground and rejoin the defensive line or roll away from the tackle area and be back on his feet fast enough that it made no odds.
In the rare occasion that a player did get stuck, he trusted that the discipline and communication of the whole line would allow them to navigate the next phase.
That is a plan built specifically to take on the All Blacks and beat them – it was a high-risk strategy and a lower-quality team couldn’t have pulled it off. But Farrell knows what kind of team he is working with and he trusted them to execute it. Well, didn’t they just.
The question now stands as to whether, given all that he has achieved from his assistant, Farrell is the right man to take on Schmidt’s mantle as a head coach.
Joe Schmidt and Ireland. (AFP PHOTO / PAUL FAITH)
I, for one, think it is the perfect opportunity for him to try his hand as a head coach. He is in a setup that he not only knows but that he has essentially built by his own hand, he knows he has the full commitment and confidence of his entire squad, all the way down to the third-stringers and he will have the confidence that he has the foundation of that defence that he has made to build from as he works on his attacking coaching.
I wish Andy Farrell all the best as Ireland head coach when the time comes – I think he has truly earned his shot and built something really special in Dublin.
Some may say his track record as an attack coach is yet to be put to paper and they would be correct – he is certainly a defence-minded man.
But you know what they say – defence wins championships.
Jacko
Guest
But isnt ireland the house that Farrell built? i think farrell is on a hiding to nothing....Keep winning and its the players....Start being slightly less successful and its all about the coach....i think I would rather be the next Aus coach....nowhere to go but up...
Kane
Roar Guru
I think everything he has claimed on this page under both his names has been debunked?
Kane
Roar Guru
But Ireland were leading when Sexton came on and when he was on the field they ended up scoring zero but conceding 10? He also played 25 not 20min. About South Africa's "decent record" in Brisbane, Australia are 11/12 since the 70's there or 92%, yet Australia are significantly poorer against SA else where 12/19 in the same period, or 63%. The referees call to disallow Underhill's try was due to the laws of the game. England may have pushed around the All Blacks but the All Blacks kept them scoreless after the 24th min. Scotland may have been making a dash for the line but he was bundled into touch well short and he didn't score so a non event? Shall we call the Ireland NZ game a draw because Read dropped the ball after charging down a kick of which Goodhue would have scored? Nah that's just silly, shall we say England lost and Ireland won?
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
Yep T/man, yet to happen, with those from the individual UK nations!! Many have tried & many have failed.mate.
Ruckin oaf
Guest
Life is short jacko, I'm just saving us all some time????
taylorman
Roar Guru
Wont happen in NZ, dont think anyones done that. ????
taylorman
Roar Guru
Yes but you fail to provide what they do with that ball in hand. Largely…they do nothing, but hold on to it, deny the other side to do anything. Big deal, besides being an absolute fun-less lot the ABs are not going to be concerned with a side that has all the ball and can only score one try with it. Look at the oz series. Three tries in three tests, including none in one. None against France and one vs NZ. Ireland, 2018, in five key tests FOUR tries in total, all cliffhangers or losses, for a side you purport to win based on superior possession. Wow, you gotta wonder what on earth they are doing with all that ball. Boring the pants of the scorekeepers for one thing. World cup time theyve gotta score tries in the knockouts chump, or they get run over……again. Every single knockout Ireland has played the opposition scored more tries than Ireland, and you think its ok to score one in your biggest matches. So long as you win I guess, but good luck with that in knockouts, and dont count on having many finger nails or hair left after the tourney if they win it.
taylorman
Roar Guru
The usual resignation from HHB, who sees his side in a better light than they are until the numbers are provided. Welcome to the main event chump. Gotta get your facts right.
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
Well, Phantom, it did take Ireland over a 100 years to beat the AB's, then they had to have a Kiwi influences.
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
Yep T/man, & again a Happy New Year mate. I do, very much agree, as ALL the home nations have a New Zealand influence throughout their squads, whether its players or coaches. Even England with coach Jones has assistant John Mitchell, there beside him. Not to mention a couple of very good quality New Zealand born players as well. Sean Maitland, is still playing very well for Scotland, & we both know of Vern Cotters achievements there. IMO, I do think Ireland will have problems if Farrell takes the top job, as I know of even now, there are some (as in friends), that are not to happy, if that eventuates. Well after all, as they say, he's a F....n Pom. Lol. Cheers.
HenryHoneyBalls
Guest
Defense was definitely a factor in the wins but I disagree that the wins were built on defense given that Ireland played with ball in hand as much as if not more than NZ as they play a possession based game. If you look at their possession stats over all games in 2018 it seems obvious.
HenryHoneyBalls
Guest
The usual garbage from Taylorman.
Daire Thornton
Guest
Australia also won against SA, also in Brisbane where they have a decent record. Ireland didn't play badly and they won the series. Their three tests v OZ wasn't unlike NZ's northern tour which is the point I was making and seems to be lost on lots of people. Some close games and a loss. Yes I said by around 3 points, 5 isn't that far off when Scotland's Hogg is making a dash for your line in the final minutes. The referees call to disallow Underhill's try v England was contentious to say the least. Another ref may well have let it go. It was a lucky escape for NZ who were pushed around by England for spells in a fairly unconvincing win where it seemed the general consensus after the game was because conditions were wet rather than NZ playing badly. Sexton came on as a sub and played about 20 minutes. That's not the same as him starting the game. I'm pretty sure you understood the point I was making.
Jacko
Guest
You are just embarrassing yourself now RO
Phantom
Roar Rookie
Ireland’s record over the abs is one in a row. When it is 10 in a row they will have something world class. 5 in a row will be a small miracle.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Happy new year Muzzo, The selection of Farrell as head coach I would say is still enough to make the Irish nervous. His biggest success is as ‘deputy’ in the same way Wayne Smiths was. Irish fans I think both welcome the change given theuve accepted the Schmidt departure but I think are privately rueing the fact theyll no longer have a SH or NZ coach, regardless of whether they think Schmidts NZ influence is a primary factor. Fact is, the presence of SH and NZ coaches have altered the shape and success of home unions rugby more dramatically in the last 8 or so years than at any other time. Gats has given Wales its best years in ages, Jones flipped England on its lid, Cotter set in place a dramatic improvement in Scotland and Schmidt goes without saying. Wales have pumped for yet another kiwi in Pivac and i think Ireland will have concerns, even if they dont admit it. Kiwi coaches, and jones, have that magic formula that works for NH test sides. Farrell for all his abilities, isnt SH , nor a proven head coach, and that factor alone will make Irish fans suitably nervous.
Ruckin Oaf
Guest
Hey Jacko, Many others -- that were obviously so important to the team's success that you didn't mention them at all. Don't worry about it mate, just refer to the agreed facts - there's enough in them to sooth any fragile little Kiwi ego. No worries.
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
Very interesting read Jack, & Ireland ATM do appear in a great position for this years RWC, but, possibly you haven't taken one thing into consideration, in regards to Andy Farrell, & that is he is an Englishman. Even if he does take over the top job from Joe Schmidt, he would not need to take a backward step, & start losing games, as no doubt, the ire of the Irish will come down on him like a ton of bricks, knowing full well, how the Irish feel towards the English, or for that fact, anything English. In that respect I myself don't blame them, considering what they have had to put up with over the centuries. As far as the RWC goes, I do wish Joe & his squad well. They are a definite chance, ATM, but like everything in our game many things can change with injuries etc. Schmidt, has done wonders with this squad, & it's nice to know that he is reconsidering his options, in regards to the AB top job after the RWC. After all, it was him & his influence in finally beating the AB's after a 100 year plus drought.
Jacko
Guest
I mentioned Schmidt because he is the HEAD COACH. Farrell has played his part in Irelands improvement. So have many many other including the IRU's decision makers.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Oh look squad rotation blah blah. When youre at the top of the pile squad rotation is supposed to be a reason for success not excuses. We didnt play Retallick and Sam Whitelock at Chicago but thems the breaks. Look at Ireland vs France. a tight battle that needed a 40 meter dropped goal. Now you could say France are at home so are tough but the ABs have won their last 7 matches there, 4 of them thrashings, so…it aint that hard winning in France, away. France tour NZ and get walloped in three tests 127-38 points. Not even in it. Ireland vs Oz. Lose one, win two narrowly. Oz actually have the better for and against. NZ play Oz twice in Oz and win all 3 115-40, a 75 point margin. Those results alone suggest NZ would have accounted for Ireland in a June series very easily. That they won one close one in Dublin is to their credit but theres day and night between the away records of the ABs and the Irish, even in 2018, when Ireland had supposedly the better year. You could say the 6N meant more to the French but then youd have to suck up the AI’s and Chicago loss in the same regard. Also the Oz vs Ireland series vs how important playing the ABs were. in the RC. Pretty sure I know which was the larger focus. Without those Irelands record is very poor indeed, against all SH 3, bar the Oz scrape. Fact is, Ireland dont travel well for a supposed number one threatening side.