Grand slam fever is intensifying by the hour in Ireland but pressure has never bothered Andy Farrell. The head coach has rarely sounded more serene as he named an ominously strong home side for Saturday’s Six Nations finale, with the return of Robbie Henshaw and Dan Sheehan and the availability of a fit Caelan Doris set to make England’s task even tougher.
Farrell could even afford to joke about inviting his son Owen’s children to Ireland’s final training session to ensure they supported their grandfather’s team at the Aviva Stadium. “We’ll be trying to poach them into our captain’s run and see if we can squeeze them to cheer for Ireland,” said Farrell Sr, who has been encouraging his three-year-old grandson, Tommy, to pull on his green jersey this weekend. “I’ve told him to bring it so we’ll see what he wears on Saturday.”
This weekend, though, is less about family reunions than completing a final bit of outstanding business. Ireland last won a grand slam in 2018 but they have never clinched one in Dublin, let alone on St Patrick’s Day weekend. Farrell was in the England side swept away on a tide of emerald emotion at Croke Park in 2007 and recognises this as another of those occasions when an Irish loss is simply out of the question.
Having won multiple trophies during his rugby league days at Wigan, the former Great Britain captain also has an intuitive sense of the precise mindset his players will require. “What people think we’re chasing is a trophy. We’re not, we’re chasing being the best version of ourselves when it matters most. We all know it matters but performing under that type of pressure is the next step for us.”
Hence a week of preparation described as “pretty abrasive” by Farrell in the expectation of a more cohesive England performance than they managed against France last weekend. “It’s not just any other game. We’d be stupid to think that. They’ll have an emotional edge, obviously. There’s no better tonic than getting back out there and putting a few things right. They’re going to be formidable opponents for us.”
Probing for weaknesses in this Ireland side, though, is increasingly tough. Even with Garry Ringrose unavailable, into the midfield comes a Lion in Henshaw. Jamison Gibson-Park has not started a Six Nations game previously this season but he is Ireland’s usual starting No 9 while Ryan Baird, the replacement for the injured Iain Henderson, is a fast-rising talent in the second row.
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With 12 Leinster players in the starting lineup, the levels of cohesion and familiarity are almost frightening. “Everyone talks about walking towards stuff and trying to be yourself but we don’t want to be number two in anything,” stressed Farrell. “This weekend we don’t want to be second best. It’s about embracing being ourselves, the best we can be. If that’s all that matters, then what have you got to lose? That’s the pressure we put on ourselves.”
