Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin Date: Saturday, 11 February Kick-off: 14:15 GMT |
Protection: Reside on BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Sounds, the BBC Sport web site & app; dwell textual content commentary & highlights on BBC Sport web site & app |
After beginning their Six Nations marketing campaign with a bonus-point win over Wales, 2009 Grand Slam winner Tommy Bowe explains why he is liking what he is listening to from Andy Farrell as Eire gear up for Saturday’s crunch assembly with France.
If Eire had misplaced Saturday’s Six Nations opener to Wales, Andy Farrell wouldn’t have been wanting excuses.
With out injured key gamers like Tadhg Furlong, Jamison Gibson-Park and Cian Healy and going up in opposition to a Warren Gatland-led Wales workforce below the Principality Stadium roof, it may simply have gone fallacious for Eire in Cardiff.
Even the bus that was taking the Eire gamers from the resort to the stadium was a couple of minutes late.
As a participant, the bus journey to the stadium was my favorite a part of gameday. All these nerves you’d really feel on the morning of a giant match that stopped you from stomaching a pleasant breakfast disappeared when you hopped on the coach.
Wales was at all times a brief however odd bus journey. The coach has to drive at a snail’s tempo behind 4 horses trotting alongside, nevertheless it was enjoyable to see supporters in inexperienced and purple having the time of their lives.
However all the pieces main as much as kick off is mapped out with army precision and the bus journey is calculated in order that it arrives on the stadium at precisely the proper time as to not disrupt preparation.
I bear in mind Joe Schmidt – who was a stickler for the tiniest particulars – in 2017 blaming Eire’s loss to Scotland on the bus being quarter-hour late.
However that is what I’ve beloved about Farrell not too long ago. He is not treating the uncontrollables as potential excuses, however as challenges for his squad. He needs issues to go uncontrolled in order that his gamers are comfy within the chaos.
Gibson-Park dominated out on the morning of a match? Farrell mentioned it was “good” for Eire once you’d usually hear a coach describe it as a blow.
The bus was late? Farrell needed it to be even later to maintain his gamers on their toes and actually focus their minds.
Wales needed the roof closed? Farrell needed it too as a result of he is aware of that to win a Grand Slam or World Cup, his gamers must know find out how to carry out in opposition to probably the most intimidating atmospheres.
Farrell is not on the lookout for excuses, however he’s attempting to check the workforce as a lot as he can and as early as he can in World Cup 12 months – and I am a giant fan of this strategy.
And look, it is clearly working. There was loads of discuss Warren’s Warriors wrecking Farrell’s feelgood issue, nevertheless it was Eire who got here bursting out of the blocks on Saturday like I’ve by no means seen earlier than.
They have been 14-0 up after eight minutes and that early dominance confirmed each supporter why Eire are the workforce on the high of the tree and why they need to be thought of critical contenders for the World Cup later this 12 months.
Certain, Wales had alternatives to get in and improved within the second half, however there was by no means sufficient to actually trigger panic within the Irish ranks earlier than they scored that bonus-point attempt.
There was speak of the Welsh again row however I believed Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris have been distinctive, snuffing out all the pieces, whereas within the again discipline Hugo Keenan was excellent.
The way in which I see it’s Eire have been capable of win a Six Nations sport away from house with out transferring out of third gear and that is a telling reflection of the place Farrell’s facet are.
Now the main target switches to France, who got here out on high after an epic conflict with a much-improved Italy on Sunday.
It is going to be an unbelievable battle between Eire and France – the world’s high two sides – on Saturday and it might be the most-watched sport of the match.
It is nonetheless early within the championship however Eire know that beating the French, who will journey to Dublin searching a fifteenth win in a row, will imply it is sport on for the Grand Slam. We actually felt that means after beating them within the first sport in 2009.
And victory for Eire would additionally hand them a psychological edge understanding {that a} World Cup quarter-final in opposition to Les Bleus might be on the playing cards later this 12 months.
There’s simply a lot using on the France sport, however Farrell is actually doing and saying all the proper issues to get his squad in the proper mindset for an actual heavyweight showdown.
Tommy Bowe was talking to BBC Sport NI’s Matt Gault