Coach: Simon Easterby
Captain: Caelan Doris
Overview
Rewind to the Six Nations two years ago and Ireland look a good deal more vulnerable now than the imperious force which won the Grand Slam then. In Johnny Sexton’s final championship, he led the team to four of their five wins — Ross Byrne steering the ship in Rome — as Ireland came within one play and one try in their penultimate game at Murrayfield of a maximum 28 points.
Ireland’s tally was inflated by a three-point bonus for the Grand Slam, leaving them seven points clear of France after their epic round two clash in Dublin proved decisive, but perhaps the most telling indication of that team’s all-court dominance was that they won every match by at least two scores.
Their set pieces functioned smoothly and their well-honed passing, carrying, recycling and multiphase attack. Unlike 2009, labelled a cardiac team by Less Kiss, and even Joe Schmidt’s well-oiled 2018 vintage, there hadn’t been as dominant a Grand Slam since England’s 2003 World Cup-winning outfit.
In the post-Sexton fallout of the most crushing World Cup quarter-final exit of them all, granted Ireland looked vulnerable at this point last year as well. But then so did France, all the more so without Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack, which colours Ireland’s 38-17 win on that atmospheric opening night in Marseilles all the more so given they never scaled those heights again.
Indeed, after what would have been a smash-and-grab raid on Twickenham until a Marcus Smith drop goal in the last play of the penultimate match, the failure to secure a shot at historic back-to-back slams led to a slightly anticlimactic title coronation in the Aviva Stadium against Scotland a week later.
There has since been that superb second Test win over a locked and loaded Springboks in Durban was arguably the performance of 2024 — anytime, anywhere — but the Autumn Series was somewhat derailed by the limp opening loss to the All Blacks. Even though Ireland secured wins over a good Argentina side, Fiji and the Schmidt-revived Wallabies, lineout malfunctions, discipline and handling errors blighted the performances.
Jack Crowley’s strong and mature performance in that bonus-point win in Marseilles had augured well but having played every minute of last season’s Six Nations he was replaced to telling effect by Ciaran Frawley in both South African Tests and this season his form has wavered.
And then along came Sam Prendergast in November, yet despite a welcome return to form against Northampton for Munster, Ronan O’Gara gave a searing analysis of Crowley on Off the Ball this week, when throwing down the gauntlet to the fellow Cork man he once tried to sign for La Rochelle.
Warning that Crowley could soon find himself outside the match day 23, O’Gara added: “This feeling sorry for himself, it’s fine for us to throw those ideas around but at the minute if there’s a bus getting off the deck, it’s him. He can easily go into the group of 30 to 45 who don’t play. It’s not ruthless at all, really, I don’t think.
“He had a fantastic Six Nations for Ireland, and Ireland did, but he didn’t kick on,” said O’Gara.
[ Six Nations preview: France can win Grand Slam if they don’t lose their headsOpens in new window ]
[ Six Nations guide to Scotland: Fixtures, prospects and who to watchOpens in new window ]
[ Six Nations guide to Italy: Fixtures, prospects and who to watchOpens in new window ]
[ Six Nations guide to Wales: Fixtures, prospects and who to watchOpens in new window ]
“He had a South African tour and he opened the door for competitors to keep having bites and then in November, it was the same.
“I’m a big fan of his and I like what he stands for, but you can’t do that. It’s confirmed by the announcement of the team to play England, that in the management’s eyes, Sam is the better player.
“So Jack has to accept that and say, ‘okay, we’re not building for the future, we’re not looking at my number two’. He’s number two now. That was probably hard to take but if he takes good messages from that, replay every action in his head — ‘what will I do here? Do I confirm what he’s done? where am I seeing the space?
O’Gara concluded: “Sam Prendergast has been exceptional for Leinster, Jack has been like a yo-yo for Munster and when you’re a yo-yo for Munster you don’t get in the Irish team.”
[ Six Nations preview: France can win Grand Slam if they don’t lose their headsOpens in new window ]
Player to watch: It has to be Sam Prendergast. Never before has an Irish management invested to this degree in such a young outhalf and given him the keys to the team. He turns 22 on February 12th but that still makes him a year younger than O’Gara and three years younger than Sexton when they made their debuts. He has been a fascinating watch.
The gifted 21-year-old is making his third successive Test start and making his Six Nations debut against England. Temperamentally, Prendergast keeps passing every examination calmly, be it the Aviva Stadium, Thomond Park or the Stade Deflandre, albeit he was bounced a couple of times in the Bath game.
Title odds (Paddy Power): 7/4 second favourites.
Last three finishes: 2nd, 1st, 1st.
Fixtures: Saturday, February 1st v England, Aviva Stadium, 4.45pm; Saturday, February 9th v Scotland, Murrayfield Stadium, 3pm; Saturday, February 22nd v Ireland, Principality Stadium, 2.15pm; Saturday, March 8th v France, Aviva Stadium, 2.15pm; Saturday, March 15th v Italy, Stadio Olimpico, 2.15pm.
Prospects: There is understandable trepidation out there with Andy Farrell having taken his Lions sabbatical, and along with the absence of Sexton, the injured Tadgh Furlong and the omitted Peter O’Mahony, leaves this team without a quartet of strong, driving forces. Even under Farrell, the Autumn Series was underwhelming, but lest we forget, Ireland still won the title by a comfy five points last season, scoring at least six tries more than anyone else and conceding at least six tries less than anyone else. A three-peat has never been done for a reason, but Ireland have England and France at home, even if the opener will go a long way towards defining their campaign.
