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: ranking after week one

1. Ireland

A slow first 39 minutes where they didn’t do a whole lot more than simply blunt the Scottish endeavours. But once Andrew Trimble scored at the end of the first half, the result was never in doubt. Ireland looked generally sharp, counter-rucked very well and didn’t have any obvious weak areas. They still have to travel to Twickenham and the Stade de France, but things will be very tricky for Wales next week.

The Millennium Stadium before Wales’s 23-15 win over Italy

Reds 12-22 Lions

The Lions ground out a tough 22-12 win over the Queensland Reds in Brisbane in what was quite an assignment for the tourists. The Reds played with such a high tempo and apparent freedom, typified by the excellent Quade Cooper. Still, in the east coast rain, Warren Gatland will be generally content with the shift his team put in.

Players’ verdict:

15: Stuart Hogg – lively, generally assured, although he’s not in contention to start against the Wallabies…7/10
14: Alex Cuthbert – looked laboured and slow in the first half when he was trumped in attack and defence by opposite number Luke Morahan. Blow to his prospects of starting the first test…5

Lions squad verdict: the backs

Leigh Halfpenny

The best full back in the northern hemisphere, the outstanding player of the Six Nations, safer than houses under the high ball and a deadly accurate goalkicker

Stuart Hogg

A superb talent – he is only 20 – with pace to burn, as his Six Nations try against Italy proved. Will be an exciting part of the Lions midweek team

Rob Kearney

Once the best Six Nations full back, he has watched Halfpenny consolidate his own claim to that crown. But Kearney is still too much of a safe pair of hands to leave behind

Tommy Bowe

Vote for your player of the Six Nations

Dan Lydiate was the player of the Six Nations last season according both to a poll here and also on the Six Nations’ official site.

It was a disastrous tournament for the French, but they have two representatives on the shortlist of 12 (two more than Ireland)

But with the Wales flanker absent this year through injury, who has been the stand-out performer in this year’s tournament?

The shortlist of 12 is my own, so apologies in advance… but you can always suggest someone else if you feel they deserve it.Note to English fans: votes for Steve Walsh won’t be counted.

Of the dozen on my list, there are four Welshmen – bear in mind I am Welsh – three Englishmen, two each from France and Scotland and an Italian.

No Irish players unfortunately, although Simon Zebo looked like he might well have made the list had he played more than one single game (what a performance it was by the winger in Ireland’s solitary win, on the opening weekend against Wales).