While Irish rugby basked in the glow of an unexpectedly comfortable victory over England, Simon Easterby offered a brief glance behind the curtain.
“There were some good examples of set-piece plays, two, three phases which worked really well and when the game broke up a little bit, we had guys who were obviously able to take advantage of that.”
This, it appears, was an outline of the plan that will define Easterby’s time in charge, along with the build-up to the next World Cup: the evolution of Ireland’s attack.
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In 2024, the threat that brought plenty of success in the Andy Farrell era started to look one-dimensional. Teams were stifling the Irish runners, forcing green shirts to play phase after phase searching for gaps that had come more easily in years gone by. The increased workload left a tired-looking group.
Now Ireland appear to have prioritised breaking teams down using fewer phases. Easterby expressed his delight at Ireland doing so within only two or three phases against England. This required greater incision combined with pragmatism. Be better at forcing gaps but, when they don’t appear, avoid needlessly running into brick walls.
Two games into the Six Nations, we can tentatively say the plan is working.
Before diving into the stats, our eyes alone tell us that Ireland are breaking down teams quickly. This is thanks in part to effective set-plays conjured up by Andrew Goodman and Paul O’Connell. We all remember the two-play strike that sent James Lowe through the English line in the build-up to Tadhg Beirne’s try.
Do the numbers back up the eye test?
In some ways, not a lot has changed. Compared with last year’s Six Nations, when Ireland’s attack stagnated towards the end of the competition, Opta tells us that plenty of the 2025 metrics are similar. In rounds one and two, Ireland have been dominant with 26.1 per cent of their carries. Last year, that figure was 26.2 for the whole Six Nations.
Last year brought a gainline success rate of 50.9 per cent, 2025 brings 55.1. The difference in proportion of carries drawing in multiple defenders (56.4 v 52.7 per cent), tackle evasion rate (19.3 v 21.1 per cent) and converting line breaks into tries (36.1 v 37.5 per cent) is minimal.
Despite the victories, then, are Ireland still working too hard when breaking down defences?
Not exactly. If Ireland want to progress up the field with fewer phases, one would expect the total carry per match figure to come down. In the Autumn Nations Series, Ireland averaged 131 carries per match. So far this Six Nations, that figure is 102.5. Ireland have still secured two bonus-point victories despite carrying less.
In November, Ireland made a line break every 23.8 carries. That figure so far this Six Nations has dropped to 12.8. Having entered the 22 once for every 11.1 carries earlier this season, Ireland are now doing so every 9.3 carries.
The smorgasbord of positive attacking trends is all well and good, but does it translate to the most straightforward stat, the most important number of all, which can be found on the scoreboard? In a way, yes.
In the last fortnight, Ireland have averaged 2.1 and 2.3 points per 22 entry. Those figures beat their one-game totals from three of the four November games, the exception being Fiji, who produced one of the worst defensive displays seen at the Aviva Stadium in recent years.
While trending in the right direction, Ireland’s scoring efficiency is yet to hit the lofty heights of the start of last year’s Six Nations. Then, each of the first three games saw a total of at least three points per 22 entry. The fact that Ireland have, according to Opta, underperformed their total expected points for this Six Nations by a margin of 15 would also point to room for improvement when taking chances inside the 22.
That being said, Easterby’s words match his player’s deeds. Ireland’s attack is working smarter, not harder, when looking for gaps. How has this come about? Have Ireland implemented any significant changes to their attacking philosophy? Yes and no.
In the 2024 Six Nations, Ireland led the way for moving the ball wide and passing beyond both the first and second receiver. Two games into 2025, they’re still top of the pops. Ireland love getting the ball into the hands of Lowe or Dan Sheehan when they hold their width. Enjoy the show from there.
In 2024, Ireland often went wide without the initial punch up the middle, required to draw in defenders. Too many inside runners weren’t live options, they offered no threat. Andy Farrell demanded more on this front after Scotland somewhat stifled Ireland’s attack last year. Across the last fortnight, that punch was back.
That isn’t something new, but rather a refocusing on a previous strength that had dwindled. One thing that has changed, though, is Ireland’s volume of kicking.
In November, Ireland averaged 21.8 kicks per match, rising to 27.5 in this Six Nations. The ratio of kicks to carries has also changed: November saw Ireland kick once every six carries. Now, it’s one kick every 3.7 carries. If gaps don’t appear, Ireland are happy to kick the ball away earlier in the attacking piece. Energy is being preserved for more favourable situations.
Given their success in recent years, Ireland were never going to throw the attacking baby out with the bathwater after a frustrating November. Two games into this Six Nations, facing tricky opponents, subtle tweaks appear to be working.
Such a small sample size is not sufficient to say Ireland’s attack is back. While France in Dublin presumably will offer a bigger test than Wales and Italy, all three remaining games will require Ireland to keep finding regular gaps, all while improving their efficiency inside the 22.
Should these trends continue, if Ireland stay on their more pragmatic course, it will take a remarkable defensive display to deny them their desired Grand Slam.
