With perfect timing, Ireland chose Valentine’s Day as the moment to focus on a Kiss.
Les Kiss, the Australian who has straddled the Kidney and Schmidt eras, is a low-profile operator, a defence guru who was instrumental in Ireland’s Grand Slam win in 2009, and who, far and away, is earning a reputation for being the best in the business at what he does.
The same attribute, by the way, is rapidly being bestowed on Schmidt, the New Zealander who has now led Ireland to nine wins in a row, equalling the record set by Eddie O’Sullivan over a decade ago. “Right now Joe is the number one coach in world rugby,” said no less a man than Clive Woodward, England’s guide in their 2003 World Cup win.
It is becoming increasingly hard to argue. For while Ireland have some world-class players, there isn’t the same depth of talent now as there was during the O’Sullivan era, when — at one stage — he lined out with Paul O’Connell, Keith Wood, Ronan O’Gara and Brian O’Driscoll in his side.
At that time O’Sullivan could also call on a support cast that included Shane Horgan, David Humphreys, Malcolm O’Kelly, Simon Easterby and Denis Hickie. All they managed was a heavy defeat to France in the quarter-finals of the same World Cup England won.
An amended version of that team would go on to lift three Triple Crowns, prizes which aren’t to be sniffed at, but which didn’t justify the talent at O’Sullivan’s disposal. Under Schmidt, in contrast, the sum exceeds the parts. One Six Nations title has already been annexed. Another is there to be grabbed.
“The English forwards have to dominate the Irish pack which will take some doing,” said Woodward in the wake of Ireland’s win over France last Saturday. “The Irish defence is so good, it’s whether England have the confidence to unlock it.
“They will have to kick a bit more because Ireland’s line speed is awesome but they leave space in behind. If the England forwards don’t arrive in a couple of weeks’ time they will be beaten.”
Harsh words but true ones. The case for the Irish defence is a compelling one and last Saturday provided the strongest evidence yet that Kiss is remarkably skillful at decoding an opponent’s attacking strategy and even more impressive in delivering his message to his players.
Saturday saw the French carry the ball on 135 occasions. Yet they only made two clean breaks, their try coming from big men using soft hands. The offload is the one area few teams can defend against. Ireland did their best but France still managed to score. “That’s rugby,” said O’Connell afterwards. “We wanted to finish the game out stronger and are a little disappointed we didn’t. But France are a good team, remember.”
Some of us forget. By reflecting on the fact we have not lost in four internationals against Les Bleus, the best run of form since the early 1970s, we have turned a blind eye to the fact that Ireland won just once in 12 meetings between 2003 and 2012.
France never really looked like winning on Saturday as Ireland won the game on the tactics board first and the pitch second. It helped that the French attacked so narrowly. It helped that Ireland had the better playmaker in Jonny Sexton.
It helped that Sexton kicked his goals — Camille Lopez missed twice — and it helped that Rory Kockott was preferred to Morgan Parra, who upped the tempo whenever he was introduced, clearly affecting the pattern of the game.
But what really helped most of all was Schmidt’s decision to get all of Ireland’s world-class operators on the field. Sexton, with five kicks from five, was brilliant. Face bloodied, head bashed, he was as tenacious in the tackle as he was cool in the mind when lining up those goals.
Deservedly he won man of the match. But good men kept him company. Rob Kearney tackled like a demon; Tommy Bowe’s industry was key on a day when graft mattered more than craft; Jared Payne was unbeatable in defence and alert to the space in front; Robbie Henshaw led the tackle count; Simon Zebo sacrficed his ego for the good of the team and Conor Murray’s physicality meant Ireland, at times, had nine forwards.
The pack, meanwhile, earned their stripes. Jack McGrath did the business in the scrum and also produced some decent carries. Has he done enough to keep his place ahead of Cian Healy? Possibly.
Has Rory Best done enough to keep Sean Cronin on the bench? Possibly not. While Ireland’s line-out was flawless — save for the time Sean O’Brien was called upon to act as an emergency hooker — Best coughed up a couple of silly penalties. Cronin is undoubtedly the better ball-carrier, Best the better scrummager. Schmidt, put simply, has to think long and hard on this one.
Retaining Mike Ross ahead of Marty Moore will be an easier call. Ross tackled well on Saturday and put in an even better shift at scrum time. Moore is the coming man but for now, Ross is the guy in possession of the jersey. That shouldn’t change.
Nor should the second row. Once upon a time Devin Toner was viewed as a bit of a circus act. Now he is a critical figure. Beside him, Paul O’Connell is back to his best after being written off following an awful display for Munster in the final pool game of their Champions Cup campaign.
And then there is Ireland’s back row who can be regarded as Europe’s brand-leaders now.
Sean O’Brien — back after a 16-month absence from international rugby — was immense, putting in 14 tackles, a count bettered only by O’Connell and Henshaw. O’Mahony’s brute strength lead to Ireland’s fifth penalty of the game, the one Ian Madigan scored, and his availability as a line-out option causes confusion in the opposition ranks.
While Jamie Heaslip didn’t have one of his better games in green, he was still influential. Is it a coincidence that his departure — following Pascal Pape’s nasty knee to his lower back — acted as a shot in the arm to French morale?
“We’re doing okay,” said O’Connell afterwards. “The defensive effort in the second half was great. Of course you would prefer to defend with the ball and put the opposition under pressure. They turned over a lot of our ball — and in the end, they scored. The pressure eventually told against us. So we have to learn from that and improve.”
They sure do. England are also on a roll, claiming the best win yet of the championship, with that come-from-behind victory in Cardiff on day one of the tournament. So while Schmidt insists this isn’t a title-decider, the reality is that it is.
Scotland have won just eight of their last 40 Six Nations matches, averaging one win per season in the tournament. Ireland will win there. Wales aren’t as formidable an opponent as before. The Grand Slam, more or less, can be won in Dublin on March 1.
Can Ireland do it? Of course. Will they? It’s both too early, and too tough, to call.
