It was an emotional day at the Aviva, England gave nothing away easy for the second game on the trot and although they’re still in the hunt, France don’t look like potential title winners.
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The BOD farewell would bring a tear to a glass eye
If the sheer volume of tributes that were sent in Brian O’Driscoll’s direction at the weekend were paid to any other player, you would think that it was just a little bit forced and taking away from the seriousness of the occasion somewhat, but then, Brian O’Driscoll isn’t just any player.
It should be added that O’Driscoll wasn’t responsible for any of the adulation that he received and in the build-up to the game, he even appeared slightly irked by the level of attention he was receiving, but it didn’t affect the team’s performance and it sure as hell didn’t affect his.
It is only when he is actually gone that we will fully reflect on how good of a player he was and the qualities he brought to the green jersey, but he provided a reminder with a few moments of sheer class on Saturday, nearly all of which led to Irish tries in an accomplished overall display.
The tributes before the game, his excellent interview with Shane Horgan and the reception he got when entering and leaving the field were enough to make even the most casual rugby fan well up a little, but you’d want to have been carved out of stone not to even shed a little tear during his post-match interview, when the reality of the situation finally appeared to dawn on the great man himself.
The day as a whole was a fitting tribute to a legend of Irish rugby and of Irish sport and hopefully he can be given the best send-off of all with a Six Nations title next weekend.
The England defence looked as mean as hell as yet again
Granted, Wales are something of a shadow of the side that romped to the Six Nations title last season, but, not for the first time this season, it was hard not to be impressed by Stuart Lancaster’s England at Twickenham on Sunday.
England have now gone three games without conceding a try and the manner of their last-gasp defeat to France in the opening game must really stick in the craw at this stage considering that it could so easily have been England, and not Ireland, in control of the destiny of the Championship heading into the final weekend.
Courtney Lawes was like a man possessed at Twickenham
Though the lack of tries conceded is an impressive statistic, it was the manner of England’s defending that really stood out. The atmosphere was almost claustrophobic at times such was the way the England defenders cut off the space for their Welsh counterparts, with Courtney Lawes leading the charge in an aggressive rearguard action that was relentless and bordering on frenzied at times.
For somebody as no-nonsense as Lancaster, it must have been incredibly satisfying to watch and though their most recent displays might have come too late to salvage a Six Nations title, it bodes well for what lies ahead.
It’s hard to believe France are still genuine contenders for the title
They’ll probably need a miracle of biblical proportions to pull it off, but France can actually still win the Six Nations, a fact that seems to have been lost in the wake of yet another unconvincing performance against Scotland at the weekend.
Judging by the reaction of Midi Olympique this morning (see below), you’d never believe that Les Bleus are actually level on points with Ireland and England, but the pessimism is a little bit more justifiable when you consider that, despite winning the same amount of games, France’s points difference is 78 points worse off than Ireland’s and 29 points worse off than England’s going into the final round of games.
Midi Olympics headline today via @gavinmortimer7 translates as “Hello Sadness” which shows the despair in France ATM pic.twitter.com/r3rIqpM7g5
— Bernard Jackman (@bernardjackman) March 10, 2014
France’s form should be a huge source of encouragement ahead of D-Day in Paris on Saturday, but their ability to produce something big, Ireland’s abysmal record in Paris and the pessimism that comes so easily to people in this country, means that we’ll be naturally wary until we see big Paul O’Connell lift the trophy in the Stade de France.
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