Why Ireland Will Complete the Grand Slam Following England Win
In the wake of their 19-9 victory over England, Ireland can be confident of not only defending their Six Nations title, but also claiming their second Grand Slam triumph in seven years.
The humble coach that he is, Joe Schmidt has been swift to distance his side from any such talk of an unbeaten tournament, per ESPN Scrum's Tom Hamilton, but the inevitable anticipation is building in Dublin:
"It's something we haven't talked about [the Grand Slam]. We just put this game into isolation and put the first two games together. A team coming of age is very difficult to quantify as you are always changing slightly.
Today we would have had Sean O'Brien and Jamie Heaslip probably playing a full 80 minutes but instead we had Jordi Murphy and Tommy O'Donnell playing the game. Your team is always changing slightly and I'm no doubt there will be some changes through those last few games.
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Schmidt is right to take note of the losses his squad has suffered in recent weeks. Second to England, Ireland have been the second-most unfortunate in regards to key injuries over the past month and depth in resources is a key ingredient to their 100 percent start in the competition.
The aforementioned Murphy did a terrific job in his duties filling in for the injured Heaslip, as have O'Donnell, Ian Keatley and Ian Madigan when asked to step up in the face of some unfortunate absences.
England were always shaping up to be Ireland's biggest obstacle in this year's tournament. A deserved week's rest will be needed ahead of the trip to Cardiff on March 14, but one would be tempted to buy into the mantra that anything England can do, Ireland can do better in their current form.
So impressive have Ireland been en route to a record-equalling 10 wins in succession that even reigning world champions New Zealand have taken notice. Writing for the official All Blacks website, James Mortimer heaped praise on the northern hemisphere's in-form team and one fly-half in particular:
"If Ireland is becoming—or has become—the biggest local threat ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, then the most dangerous man among the squad is Jonathan Sexton.
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Hailed in the old continent as the best number ten operating in the game, his performance against England showed why he is held is such esteem. First five-eighths in the Southern Hemisphere might bristle at this tag but won’t deny the perils the 29-year-old can bring to an opposition defence.
It's a massive pat on the back from world rugby's most revered outfit, and Sexton has every right to be picked out as the man leading Schmidt's rabble, having tinkered away so efficiently against England.
Pressure kicks weren't any serious issue for the Racing Metro figure, and his flourishing partnership with half-back Conor Murray is a huge reason as to why a Grand Slam is in sight at all.
Keatley and Madigan have made their contributions in maintaining Ireland's head of steam, but there's no arguing against the fact the team is substantially more threatening with a fully fit Sexton at 10.
His potential absence will be one concern for Schmidt, however, with Wales Online reporting the fly-half is currently a doubt to feature against Wales after picking up a hamstring injury in Week 3:
Some debate Ireland have become too reliant on their standout playmaker. Perhaps those assertions have substance, but there's more to this Irish team than Sexton alone, and the back-line situation is a particularly encouraging area for Schmidt.
England came to the Aviva Stadium this past Sunday having ripped Wales and Italy to shreds for vast periods of their previous two outings, but Ireland did more than simply stand up to such a daunting presence.
Rob Kearney's form under a high ball is as imperious as ever, Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne are making their cases to become Ireland's centre combination for years to come and Murray's string-pulling has been world class.
Meanwhile, Tommy Bowe and Simon Zebo have established their status as the go-to choices out wide and the Irish Independent hailed the latter's display in particular following the win over England:
Of course the fifth-round encounter with Scotland can't be ignored, either, but Ireland aren't the kind of team to take anything for granted, irrespective of where in the standings their opponents lie.
Vern Cotter's basement side may put up a fight at Murrayfield in just over a fortnight's time, but having gotten the hard work largely out of the way, Ireland won't shirk the smaller tasks.
With so much going in their favour, it would be hard for morale in the Irish camp not to be at a high, but it's ultimately Schmidt who will be the main orchestrator in this Grand Slam win.
This may be a group largely made up of new and emerging Ireland internationals, but Schmidt's grounded attitude will undoubtedly rub off on his players, a sense that nothing is accomplished just yet.
They say winning ugly is a prominent trait among the best teams, and recent victories against England and France have each had a kind of grotesque beauty about them, not least due to the amount of Irish defending.
If a formula isn't broken, though, why fix it? Ireland haven't attempted and will assuredly not begin to play outside their means in this year's Six Nations, and that embracing of weakness as well as strength is why they can't be stopped.
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