Six Nations 2014: Brian O’Driscoll’s fairytale finish

It was a brilliant weekend in Paris, capping off a Six Nations which went down to the final play of a thriller between France and Ireland.

Brian O’Driscoll got the reward his career deserved, rounding off his career in the stadium where he first announced his arrival on the international scene.

France were a lot better than they had been against Wales and Scotland, and should possibly have won the game: they would have led with less than 10 minutes to go had Jean-Marc Doussain not hooked a straightforward penalty.

Sitting behind the posts, I also didn’t realise at the time how far forward the final pass of the 79th-minute French “try-scoring” move had gone, and thought Ireland had let another championship slip away in the last minute against France (the video below is of Vincent Clerc denying Ireland a Grand Slam in 2007).

At the Stade de France this time around, Les Bleus had done well to get themselves back into the match, having conceded three tries in the first 45 minutes or so, and Philippe Saint-Andre’s team, which has looked so shambolic in recent weeks, were guilty of pretty awful defence for all three. Just watch the lack of effort the French players make to get back and form a defensive line just before Jonny Sexton’s second.

France’s daily sports newspaper L’Equipe generally wasn’t impressed, awarding its players between 6.5 (Alexandre Lapandry) and 3 (Thomas Domingo) out of 10. Just think what they would have given as ratings for the Wales game! By contrast, three French players were rated as 8/10 by the Sunday Times.

Joe Schmidt’s Ireland certainly deserved the title, though, having been the most consistent team throughout the tournament, giving sport another fairytale ending – in the form of the illustrious career of Brian O’Driscoll – at which it excels.

The only way the game could have been even more exciting was if Triple Crown winners England had managed a couple more tries against Italy (and not conceding the interception score would have helped). If they had managed to bump their points difference ahead of Ireland, both sides in Paris would have been trying desperately to score in the closing stages of the tournament – that would have been epic.

Stuart Lancaster will be pleased with his side’s efforts this championship, and there is plenty to worry the rest of the Northern (and Southern) Hemisphere ahead of the 2015 Six Nations and World Cup. Luther Burrell, Mike Brown and Danny Care have all been excellent.

And, after back-to-back championships, Wales are finally knocked off their perch, thanks to the well-documented horror shows against Ireland and England. It was nice to see the 51-3 thumping of a 14-man Scotland, and a handful of highlight-reel tries, but clearly there is a lot of work to do ahead of the summer tour to South Africa. After Stuart Hogg was sent off, for a shocking bit of foul play, the game was effectively over, so the resulting big win doesn’t mean all is suddenly well, even if there are plenty of positive signs (not least the performance of Liam Williams). We’re still the reigning Grand Slam holders though!

But there can be no complaints that Brian O’Driscoll’s Irish side, scorers of 16 tries while conceding just four, are who Wales relinquish their tournament crown to, and that BOD hangs up his boots in a manner befitting his 141-cap career.

Six Nations predictions, week five

Written in haste, as I’m off to Paris for the championship decider!

The Stade de France is hosting the championship decider

 

Italy 10-38 England

England would have to trounce Italy to overtake a victorious Ireland on points difference. They have put 80 points on them in the past, but it just doesn’t happen any more.

Wales 21-15 Scotland

A jaded, sloppy Wales will be desperate for a win to clear some of last week’s horror show from their minds. Scotland, despite losing to France, should be confident of taking advantage of their misfiring hosts, but a fresher Wales should see them off.

France 13-23 Ireland

Ireland’s championship, or, as it will undoubtedly be reported, Brian O’Driscoll’s. France are in disarray, Ireland firing on all cylinders. Unless a different France turns up at home, surely Ireland can’t lose?

Six Nations: ranking after round four

Top: England, Ireland

These two have been far and away the best sides in this year’s tournament, and their epic clash at Twickenham proved it. England outclassed Wales on Sunday, and, but for conceding two flukey tries and a last-minute one against France, would be going for the Grand Slam this weekend. Stuart Lancaster’s side is looking ominously good ahead of the 2015 World Cup on home soil. Would you bet on any side to beat them at Twickenham?

Twickenham: becoming a fortress for England again

 

Ireland got even closer than England to beating reigning world champions New Zealand in the autumn, and Joe Schmidt has put together a side which will surely win the title next weekend by beating a shambolic France. It will be fitting for Brian O’Driscoll to retire (probably) with Ireland’s second championship of his career – and at the Stade de France, where he burst on to the international scene with a hat trick of tries in 2000.

Bottom: France, Italy, Scotland, Wales

For Wales, Twickenham was a miserable place to be on Sunday, but it needn’t be all doom and gloom. England are a very good side now (although, admittedly, that does make most Welsh fans gloomy), but Wales were mainly let down by poor execution – dropped passes, misplaced kicks, a lack of concentration etc. Yes, England should have won by more: but if we had been switched on enough to restrict England to three points instead of seven via a Danny Care try, and if either one of George North or Jamie Roberts’ kicks had gone out wide, a deficit of 11 points could have been wiped out. And don’t forget three more of England’s points came from a penalty awarded at a scrum which had resulted from Rhys Priestland dropping a dolly. Cut out the mistakes, freshen up, and this Welsh side is not necessarily a lost cause. That said, Wales haven’t dominated a match since England 2013 (Lions victories don’t count). How badly we need a good performance against Scotland.

But Scotland are not just going to roll over. After a miserable start to the tournament, the last-minute win over Italy seems to have a built a bit of momentum. It was heartbreak at the weekend, though, with a dire France again snatching a win from defeat’s jaws thanks to a cringe-inducing long pass from Duncan Weir and a couple of late long-range missed penalties. They have nothing to lose at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, and will surely be confident of taking advantage of a smarting Welsh team.

France: woeful, a squad in revolt and turmoil. Theoretically still in with a shout of the title, it would be an absolutely travesty if they were to win it. Fortunately for the reputation of the tournament, that won’t happen – no way are they good enough to beat Ireland, let alone by enough to overtake an England team that should comfortably dispatch Italy.

Italy: back to the bad old days of the wooden spoon. They haven’t gone dramatically backwards this year, and are still miles better than a decade ago. In the first half against Ireland they played with a real purpose, with Leonardo Sarto scoring a wonderful try before Ireland got into top gear. Michele Campagnaro’s double gave Wales a fright, and on another day they could easily have beaten Scotland.

Six Nations: England 29-18 Wales

I’ve just arrived back in Kettering from Twickenham. I’ve not read a match report or watched any highlights, but this is my limited perspective of the game:

It was painful viewing

• From the early try by Danny Care (who has been something of a revelation this tournament) Wales never looked like winning. Leigh Halfpenny’s kicking was keeping us in touch in the first half, but it didn’t really feel like we were ever going to give England a run for their money. I heard a couple of Welshmen on the way to the ty bach at half time say they were amazed to be only five points down – unfortunately they were not alone in thinking the score did not reflect England’s dominance
• That said, Wales should have scored at least one try in the first half. George North, with an overlap outside him, inexplicably kicked through; I can’t remember the score at the time but I’m sure a try would have given us the lead. And that would have turned into a very different match
• Was this result really a surprise? Wales struggled against Italy then were thrashed by Ireland. We turned over France, but were grateful that the inept French messed up at least two try-scoring opportunities. England, meanwhile, were very unlucky to lose in Paris, stuffed Scotland and beat championship leaders Ireland in an epic at Twickenham two weeks ago. This result went very much with the form book
• Maybe it was just my perspective, but Wales’s kicking in open play did not look good. We also didn’t seem to deal very well with England’s kicks – basics?
• The scrum looked strong, and you can’t fault the effort: summed up by Halfpenny injuring himself to save a late try which would have meant little other than to make England’s win a little more comprehensive
• It’s probably worth blooding a few youngsters against Scotland, because planning for the next couple of years has to start now. The World Cup, and another trip to take on England at Twickenham, is only 18 months away. We need to be playing with the firepower of 2012 again by then. Much of the team is already there, but there might need to be one or two changes both in personnel and tactics
• But there’s no need to panic. A few months off might do some players good, and there can be a little bit of experimentation on the South Africa tour. This hasn’t been a great tournament for Wales, but what’s to say they wouldn’t have won if today’s match had been at the Millennium Stadium? It’s less than 11 months until England return to Cardiff. Let’s make sure we’re ready.

Six Nations prediction: England v Wales

France looked dreadful against Scotland, Ireland thrashed Italy: it means four teams have a shot at the title – but you’d think Ireland will surely go to Paris and win next weekend. Still, the winner tomorrow will at least have something still to play for…

England 15-18 Wales

I’ve been feeling a bit sick all week about this, but, for any neutrals (and although it will have to be a pretty special match to beat the England-Ireland encounter from a fortnight ago) it has all the ingredients of a classic:

• Both teams have to win – the loser will be out of championship contention, while the victor will still have a chance going into the final weekend
• Wales’s 30-3 demolition job last year, which obliterated England’s Grand Slam hopes. It’ll be motivation for England, while Wales will obviously be keen again to bully up front then cause havoc out wide
• The fact these two teams will line up against each other, again on English soil, in a World Cup pool match in 18 months
• The (naive?) comments from young wing Jack Nowell about Wales hating England

There’s been a bit of to-ing and fro-ing in the media this week as to who is actually the favourite for this one. England are certainly the team in form – although Wales come in to the game on the back of having crushed France – and they obviously also have home advantage.

At the start of the tournament, you’d look at this Wales team, especially now it’s been reinvigorated by the return of centre Jonathan Davies, and say that, man-for-man, it was far superior. In fact, questionable form aside, you still would. Luke Charteris is the only injury absentee at Twickenham for Warren Gatland’s men.

Conditions will be perfect on Sunday: sunny and warm, and ideal for Welsh firepower outwide and in the centre. England’s backline is talented but relatively raw – Twelvetrees, Burrell, May, Nowell – but Wales will be rightly wary of the Harlequins spine, the link betwee Robshaw, Danny Care and player of the tournament Mike Brown.

Maybe it’s my daffodil-tinted spectacles, but I’d take Roberts, Davies, North and Cuthbert any day of the week. Halfpenny might have been outshone in the last three weeks by Brown, but he’s still the best scrum-half full back (oops) in the north. Rhys Webb at scrum half eliminates the frustrating Mike Phillips wander across the pitch from the bottom of every breakdown.

England might have the edge in terms of form, don’t forget that last time out form was comprehensively beaten…

Meanwhile, it’s good to see a Plaid Cymru MP has prepared a decent excuse in case Wales lose: blame it on captain Sam Warburton being British! I wonder if Chris Robshaw similarly thinks of himself as a Brit? England fans had better be worried if so…

Disappointing that a Plaid MP criticises Sam Warburton. Why shouldn’t he feel British AND Welsh? I’m proud to be both http://t.co/dWQki1e9Jg

— Huw Silk (@huwsilk) March 6, 2014

Six Nations predictions, week four

The Saturday starter before Sunday’s Twickenham main course…

Ireland 36-6 Italy

They’re not going to be holding out too much hope of an upset, but England, France and Wales – Ireland’s championship rivals – will all be hoping Italy keep the deficit to a minimum. With four teams on two wins apiece, Ireland are top thanks to dominant wins over Scotland and Wales. Conversely, Joe Schmidt’s team will be looking to pile up the points, which would mean that any win in Paris in the final round of matches would earn them their Six Nations title since 2009.

Sorry Ireland, Italy, Scotland and France: this weekend is all about Wales’s trip to Twickenham

You can’t see past Italy being on the end of a hiding. In Dublin in 2012, Ireland won 42-10; although Italy have shown glimpses of fight this season, they will not come anywhere near recording consecutive wins over the men in green (they won in Rome last year).

And it will be typical Brian O’Driscoll to score a try – probably the final one of the match – on the occasion of him setting the record for most international caps.

Scotland 16-20 France

It’s the battle of the coaches who are a dab hand at a ludicrous selection policy! Finally, in the second half of their win in Rome two weeks ago, Scotland looked decent. Not championship-contenders decent, obviously, but at least they showed a bit of spark in the backs, with a superb brace of tries from Alex Dunbar.

By contrast, a woeful France regressed dramatically in their biggest post-war thrashing at the hands of Wales. You would not be surprised if there was a surprise result in this one, and while that clearly doesn’t make sense, I think it conveys that this is a potential banana skin for France which they have to be wary about. I can see them surviving this week – just – but not taking enough momentum into next week to beat Ireland and win the championship. And that would surely spell the end of Philippe Saint-Andre’s tenure as coach.

Fortunately, the Murrayfield pitch doesn’t look as though it will be as much of a factor as it was when England made the journey north.