Natwest 6 Nations
Ireland
FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/RUGBYCLUBMAG
NatWest 6 Nations
Ireland
The general feeling at present is that it is all to play for in this year’s
Championship but Ireland may view things differently. Having beaten
England with a powerful display last year they have already come
through two difficult fixtures against France and Wales to sit top of
the table and are unbeaten.
They were pushed all the way by
France and could easily have lost
the game but you have world class
players in your team to come up with
the goods and with time ticking down,
Sexton’s long range drop goal was a
defining moment.
Following that victory and a routine
win over Italy, Wales came to
town for what was a fantastic
game of rugby. There was not
much between the sides but
Ireland always had the edge,
finally making the win safe
in the closing stages with a
breakaway try.
And so now they sit
five points clear of
their nearest rivals
England
with
two to play
meaning that
a handsome
win against
Scotland
could mean
that
they
wrap up the
title with a
game to spare
in a similar way
to how England
did last year.
Whether they do
or not, the rivalry
118 Issue 77
between England and Ireland has
been growing and the final game of
the tournament is sure to be a huge
contest. While England have been
stealing all the headlines the last two
years Ireland have retooled their side
from the World Cup and the next two
fixtures may be the ones where they
not only disprove the idea that
this year’s tournament is wide
open but also put forward the
argument that
they are now the second best side in
the world.
Havi ng already beaten England and
New Zealand in recent times they
certainly have nothing to fear from
anyone in the world game and you
would have to be brave to bet against
them winning this year’s tournament.
www.rugbyclubmag.com
119