Donal Lenihan: Grand Slam triumph can be stepping stone to more glory

Entering the shopping centre, the first sound that greeted me was a raucous rendition of “Ireland’s Call”, bellowing out over the public address system. Having bought a few items in the supermarket, the lady on the check-out was effusive in her praise of the team and confirmed she was taking Saturday off to follow the match on television.

It was hard to avoid the sense of being Irish. Well it was St Patrick’s Day after all. The amount of kids decked out in Irish rugby jerseys, green hats with tricolours flying at every juncture, offered a glimpse of what the beleaguered English squad must have faced every time they ventured out of their hotel since arriving in Dublin on Thursday night.

Rugby fever was everywhere to be seen. Andy Farrell’s squad has succeeded in capturing the hearts and minds of a wider Irish sporting audience than any that has gone before. Expectation levels had reached fever pitch but Ireland, admittedly with a few nervous moments and uncharacteristic stumbles along the way, got the job done against stubborn English resistance on an emotionally charged day at Lansdowne Road.

More importantly, on the back of a series win in New Zealand and the biennial schedule that offers home advantage against France and England, this group delivered the unbeaten campaign that many had predicted in advance.

Dealing with the burden of being favorite, no matter who the opposition, sits easier with this group of players than any of their predecessors. Growing that mental strength throughout this campaign, especially for what’s coming down the track, may yet prove the most beneficial takeaway from this triumphant Six Nations campaign.

Winning a Grand Slam is something the players can park for now in the knowledge that the achievement not only marks a special moment in time but something that will bond them as a group forever.

No doubt the squad enjoyed a rare opportunity on Sunday and perhaps even Monday to celebrate the magnitude of what they have achieved and rightly so. Very quickly, the focus will change towards channeling the unity and togetherness that’s been growing since Farrell brought 40 players to New Zealand last summer on the first step of a special journey towards the end goal.

The next time Ireland take the field, back at the Aviva Stadium against Italy on August 5th, they will be working towards reproducing the collective understanding and seamless attacking template that has elevated this team to world-class status.

The lessons of the past need to be taken on board when getting the balance right in the pre-season, World Cup phase, when an overemphasis on fitness at the cost of being rugby sharp or a lack of game time for key players, proved costly.

Farrell’s management team have got everything spot on over the last 18 months. I have total trust in their ability to have the fine detail in place to enable the squad hit the ground running when they open their World Cup campaign against Romania in Bordeaux on September 9th.

With that in mind, Farrell will also reflect on what this Six Nations campaign taught us, not only about ourselves but also about our potential opposition. Ireland round up the pool stage with a game against Scotland in Paris on October 7th.

By that stage, I’m pretty certain we’ll have beaten Romania and Tonga but could well be coming off the back of a defeat to reigning World Cup holders South Africa. If still unbeaten, chances are we will still have to beat the Scots to advance to the quarter finals.

The recent win in Murrayfield was our eighth on the trot against them. We have their measure and have got into their heads. The Springboks will be a different animal. I expect us to advance from our pool along with South Africa, at Scotland’s expense, to make the last eight. Again.

This is when things have got tricky for us in the past. The vagaries of a World Cup draw that was conducted ridiculously early in 2021 has resulted in the four main contenders for ultimate honors - France, New Zealand, South Africa and ourselves - all locked together on the same side of the draw.

Two from that quartet won’t make the semi-final. Despite their lowly finish in the Six Nations, having disposed of their respective head coaches eight months out from the event, England or Wales could well find themselves in the last four. I suspect the real benefactors of this crazy draw will be Eddie Jones’s Australia. I’ll expand on that on another day.

Win, lose or draw against South Africa, Ireland may well enter that final pool game against Gregor Townsend’s men knowing a specific result could pitch them against either France or New Zealand. Those two launch the World Cup with an explosive pool encounter on the opening night of action at the Stade de France that will decide who finishes first and second in Pool A.

If you were in Farrell’s shoes, who would you prefer to play in a quarter final? Traditionally we would have said France. With a thunderous home support behind them and the likelihood that the French will have way more tickets available to them than the Irish, would you be better served meeting them in the final? Think of the pressure on Fabian Galthie’s men if they make it that far.

We have enjoyed a lot of success against New Zealand of late so would we have a better chance of beating them in a quarter final than in the final itself? Making the semi final is the minimum goal for this Irish squad but it’s far from straightforward.

All that can wait for now as Farrell and his brains trust put their best plan of action together to cater for the crucial lead-in period. Having been part of the England set-up which failed to advance from their pool in the tournament they hosted in 2015, Farrell will be acutely aware of the associated pressures and pitfalls facing France.

As part of Joe Schmidt’s coaching ticket in 2019 in Japan, he will also be conscious of the mistakes made in advance of that when Ireland failed to add to their game plan, making it easier for opposition sides to work us out.

The next few months offer the perfect opportunity to take stock and plan for the final assault.

With home advantage, France are marginal favorites for the World Cup next autumn. Before that, the Rugby Championship down under will prove hugely informative as to where New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina sit leading into the tournament. That will be worth following.

Final word goes to Richie Murphy and his outstanding group of young men who emulated their senior counterparts by capturing a second Grand Slam in a row, Ireland’s third in four years, in Musgrave Park on Sunday night. Like their senior counterparts, this U20 side is a joy to watch. The quality and variety of their attacking play has been brilliant to watch and proved too much for all opposition to cope with.

There’s comfort in the fact that, regardless of what happens later in the year at the World Cup, there’s a plethora of highly talented young men waiting in the wings to make their claim for full international recognition and help sustain Ireland’s place at the top table of international rugby in the years to come. The future is in good hands.