THIS year’s Six Nations brings with it much anticipation for Irish rugby as Andy Farrell’s team look to take the next step in their development.
After a slow start to his reign, 2021 brought evident progress for Ireland under Farrell, with the fine victories over England and New Zealand showcasing the potential of this current side.
Along with some of the stylish, fluid performance of last year, third place finishes in his first two Six Nations were respectable showings for Farrell who took over in 2019, but an improvement this time round is widely expected, and the Englishman will be hoping to start better than last year when they lost the opening two matches.
Kicking off against Wales at home this Saturday won’t be easy - after all they beat Ireland in Cardiff last year - but Farrell will be fancying his chances against a team they have won four of their last five matches against.
A good performance and result in the tournament opener would set them up nicely for the heavyweight clash in Paris against France.
It’s in those kinds of matches where Ireland have come up short in recent years, as well remembered when they blew a chance to steal the 2020 tournament against Les Bleus in the final match in Paris.
Ireland head coach Andy FarrellFollowing France is a home tie against Italy which should take care of itself before they then face England at Twickenham, a place that has been the source of much pain for Ireland in recent years.
Putting the 2018 Grand Slam win there aside, Ireland have won only one of their last eight matches in London’s south-west, which is an ominous form guide.
Finishing off with Scotland is something Farrell will surely have taken before the tournament, considering the Scots haven’t won in Dublin for 12 years and have lost their last six meetings with Ireland.
Much is to happen before then of course, but if Ireland are in the mix going into the last match, they will think they can see off their Celtic rivals.
In the last year much has been said from those such as Johnny Sexton about making steady progress, with a view to peaking for the World Cup next year in France.
Winning the Six Nations in a year which includes away games against England and France would certainly help fine tune the confidence and belief within a team that has often struggled on the big occasion.
Encouraging for Farrell is the form Irish players have enjoyed at club level this season, particularly at Leinster, who have been bludgeoning their European opponents in the Heineken Cup.
If the likes of James Gibson-Park can show the kind of ruthlessness they have in the huge wins over Montpellier (89-7) and Bath (64-7) in January, then Ireland could be well placed for a tilt at the title.
Though the superiority shown by Irish clubs has often failed to materialise at international level.
Making sure this form transfers over smoothly will be key to Ireland’s hopes this year.
