Conor Murray has seen some gems from Johnny Sexton over the years but this may have topped the lot.
In the midst of a jammed, ravenous Stade de France ‘La Marseillaise’ was ringing out.
80, 81, 82 minutes. Phase, phase, phase, phase, phase.
Ireland were making two metres then being driven back one, only to truck it up for a gain of two more. It was slow going but they forced themselves into the French half. They got to the French 10-metre line but the 22 was an mirage that was fading fast.
The try wasn’t coming and Nigel Owens was keeping his whistle down. France were flirting with offside but their discipline around the rucks was impressive. There was only one thing for it – a drop goal.
Sexton called the play, called the ball and sent it hurtling on its’ way. Losers to winners in seeming slow-motion.
About 80 minutes after Sexton’s kick had claimed a 15-13 victory, we caught up with Murray down in the stadium’s ‘mixed zone’. The scrum-half, not for the first time, was in awe. He told us:
“But those last few minutes, all those phases, to grind it out like that, for Hendy [Iain Henderson] to claim the 22, then Keith [Earls] to take the crossfield kick, to keep it going through so many phases, to get a bit of go-forward, then for Johnny to pull the trigger and produce a bit of magic – they are the moments you want to play sport for, when you snatch a win like that.
“There’s a good feeling in the dressing room at the moment, so we’ll enjoy it and we know we’ve got a fair bit of work ahead of us.”
Less than a minute before Sexton slotted his 46-metre drop goal he was hanging back and stretching his tired muscles. Hope was heading out the window but perhaps, just perhaps, the Ireland No.10 had the foresight to know he would need to step up. Was he merely oiling the tools he was about to use?
We asked Murray how Sexton had signalled that the drop was on. He said:
“You’ve got a rough idea of the distance he needs for a drop-goal, and then you’re communicating with the forwards but also keeping an eye on him.
“I think it was just a look really. You can judge by his body language, and then he just gave me a flick of the eyebrows to know he needed it, we got a bit of momentum and a quick ruck, and that was perfect for us.
“It’s much more difficult to do when it’s slow and there’s no momentum. The French perhaps thought we would go again with the forwards, so I think we timed it quite well.
“Sometimes it doesn’t work. It’s a really difficult thing to do, so as a 15 I thought it was a really clinical way to close out the game.”
It certainly was.
Championship-winning campaigns are often graced with moments like this.
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