With the clock turned red, even the heavens were smiling on Ireland, a flurry of snow serving as the ticker tape to their coronation. Victory was theirs, and fully warranted, after emphatic confirmation that it is Joe Schmidt’s side who are best equipped to challenge New Zealand at next year’s World Cup.
For a while they were handing out whiskey to travellers at London’s Waterloo station but this was never an occasion for which Irish nerves needed settling. They came in their droves – the IRFU was officially given 5,000 tickets but that was tripled at least – and, while Twickenham was pockmarked green all over, the South stand in particular was rattled to the rafters by the St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
England’s fortress was not so much ransacked as razed to the ground and it owed much to Conor Murray’s peerless authority. Murray has a habit of rising to occasions, and here he was magnificent. Aaron Smith may be able to fire a quicker pass but there is no better all-round scrum-half in the world than Murray. Ben Youngs has been missed a great deal more than expected by England but Danny Care and Richard Wigglesworth are No 9s of repute and neither could hold a candle to Ireland’s scrum-half.
Throw in Jonathan Sexton’s surgical precision, CJ Stander’s power and the hard-edged second-rows Iain Henderson and James Ryan and it becomes clearer why this is the third Ireland team in history to clinch the grand slam. The last time they achieved it – in 2009 – Ryan was in the crowd, a 12-year-old supporter at the Millennium Stadium. Nine years on and he, along with the excellent Dan Leavy, is the embodiment of these bright young things at Ireland’s disposal. He has played only one fewer game for Ireland than he has for Leinster and he is yet to experience defeat for either.
Rory Best had spoken eloquently before the match, acknowledging the size of the occasion and urging his side to embrace it. He also told of the importance of quietening the crowd and after the first quarter the sound of silence echoed round Twickenham. England were no better than they had been in Paris and their errors allowed Ireland to take command while Schmidt has this green machine particularly well oiled. This is a side extremely comfortable in its own skin.
After one slightly fortuitous try – and another excellent one – the period that followed was perhaps Ireland’s most impressive. With Peter O’Mahony in the sin-bin England got themselves on the board through Elliot Daly but the visitors were unerring in their response. Sexton was off the field for a head injury assessment yet Murray marshalled his forwards round the park superbly.
Twice they went through endless phases – the kind of continuity England can at present only dream about. Indeed, Murray was purring and it was his sumptuous pass that allowed Jacob Stockdale to kick ahead and dive on the ball for his seventh try of the competition.
It came laced with irony, too. The in-goal area had been extended, as well as the lines painted blue, in anticipation of the snow, at Jones’s request and Stockdale would have run out of room ordinarily. Jones spoke last week of how “the game does not love us at the moment” and this was precisely what he meant.
With more than 20 minutes remaining Jordan Larmour came on and, while England salvaged a modest amount of pride late on, The Fields of Athenry was by that stage in full cry around the stadium, Ireland comfortably keeping their hosts at arm’s length.
Before the game the New Zealand Herald had paid tribute to Schmidt’s influence in charge of Ireland, complete with a cartoon in which he was mocked up as a leprechaun. It can now be said without question that his Ireland side are contenders for next year’s pot of gold in Japan.
