Six Nations, Grand Slam and of course the Triple Crown. All of Ireland celebrated its fourth on Saturday night and square in the oldest rugby tournament in the world. The whole island, because in the game with the oval ball Brexit doesn’t matter and there is no difference between the North which is part of the United Kingdom and the other three provinces united under the flag of Eire. One team and one Ireland. The Emerald Isle thus celebrates the weekend of St. Patrick, its patron saint. Pubs open after hours, rivers of beer, lots of happiness. The last mile, the one that was missing for the final triumph, took place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, against an England team that seven days ago had been destroyed and humiliated by France at Twickenham. It was a match to fear.
FEW MINUTES before Jaco Piper, the expert South African referee called upon to officiate the most important match of this final day of the tournament, whistled kick-off, France had emerged victorious 41-28 from the meeting with Wales at the Stade de France. The three tries conceded by the roosters in the second part of the match, after largely dominating, had certainly infuriated Fabien Galthié and made things easier for Ireland: a narrow defeat, with less than 7 points difference, would not have prevented to the men in green to capture the ultimate victory in the tournament. However, there was at stake the Grand Slam that no Irishman was willing to give up. However, Ireland-England was not a walk in the park. The XV della Rosa got off to a strong start, making it 6-0 with two set pieces from Owen Farrell. On the other hand, the hosts appeared awkward, weighed down by the stakes, below the score. They were brought forward again by a try from Dan Sheehan in the 36th minute and the matter resolved by Jaco Piper who, a few seconds before the break, sent off English full-back Freddie Steward for a shoulder tackle on Hugo Keenan. Red card, England in 14 for the entire second half and regulation to be reviewed – we start from the maximum penalty and evaluate any extenuating circumstances.For the national team of the trefoil it is the twenty-third success in the tournament and the fourth Grand Slam. But above all it is the confirmation of how Irish rugby has managed to face the transition to professionalism in the best possible way, organizing its activity around the franchises of the four provinces – Leinster. Munster, Connacht and Ulster.
IN FACT the day’s challenge ended there, at that moment. In the 18th minute of the first half, Jonathan Sexton, 37, probably in his last match in the tournament, had scored yet another set piece of his long career, overtaking Ronan O’ Gara in the rankings of the best scorer of all time in the Six Nations and this he had already ignited the powders of enthusiasm in the audience. Everything else was a formality, including the three tries from Henshaw, Sheehan and Herring which sealed the final result (29 to 16), and a yellow card for Jack Willis which certified the bankruptcy of the England national team within months since the beginning of the world cup. Ireland and France are confirmed as first and second teams in the world in the World Rugby ranking and are approaching the world championship in the role of big favourites. Each with its own identity and game system. With one difference: France have played three finals (1987, 1999, 2011) losing them all, Ireland have never gone beyond the quarter-finals and the history of their participation in the William Webb Ellis Cup is a long sequence of disappointments . We’ll see how it goes this time. For the national team of the trefoil it is the twenty-third success in the tournament and the fourth Grand Slam. But above all it is the confirmation of how Irish rugby has managed to face the transition to professionalism in the best possible way, organizing its activity around the franchises of the four provinces – Leinster. Munster, Connacht and Ulster. Since the tournament moved to the six-team formula with the entry of Italy in 2000, Ireland has been the nation that has won the most matches ever and has always known how to maintain a high standard of performance.
ITALY he finished in last place. Five matches and as many defeats. Wooden spoon with whitewash. Could it have been better? Yes, maybe she could. Saturday’s match at Murrayfield was a match that could be won. Scotland were without their leader Stuart Hogg and their brilliant (and somewhat erratic) fly-half, Finn Russell. Italy was missing Ange Capuozzo – never has absence weighed more – and at the last minute Tommaso Menoncello, another important offensive end player, also forfeited. However, Scotland found in Blair Kinghorn a worthy replacement in the control room – three tries for him -; Italy tried to rely on a rookie, Simone Gesi, deployed on the wing with fullback Allan, without appreciable results. And when in the final part of the match it was a question of finalizing a series of attacks close to the Scottish goal line, after Allan’s try had brought the Azzurri just 5 points behind their opponents, all the technical limits of a young team emerged , inexperienced, not yet capable of managing the decisive stages of a match. Too many mistakes, too much haste, too many badly executed technical gestures. The team’s sporting balance is in red. Italy played the first three games on an equal footing (France, England, Ireland) and then dropped, mentally more than physically, in the last two matches. But this is the hallmark of the Six Nations: it does not allow push-ups, lapses in performance and concentration. Compared to the past, to the decade 2013-2022 of repeated defeats, there are however some positive signs: young talents, an offensive mentality (however, it needs to be managed better), a desire to play which has also been noted by the British press, from always strict with Italian rugby.
The world journey of the Azzurri will be predictably short. France and the All Blacks are in the group and the road to the quarter-finals appears blocked. Uruguay and Namibia will be the opponents to defeat but all four matches will have to confirm last year’s progress. Then we can think about the next Six Nations.