“We would benefit more”
March 17th, 2018, a day Irish Rugby will never forget. The stage was set, four wins from four with a Grand Slam on the line against the old enemy in Twickenham – on Paddy’s Day!
I remember sitting in the stand, barely able to type in the freezing temperatures, as Garry Ringrose touched down after just five minutes.
A magical lineout move saw Furlong and Aki link up and send CJ Stander crashing over 20 minutes later, before a moment of magic from Jacob Stockdale just before half-time put Ireland on cloud nine.
You couldn’t write a better way to win a Six Nations Grand Slam. It was up there with O’Gara’s heroics back in 2009 and it will likely never be repeated. So what do we have to gain from another Six Nations title this year? Absolutely nothing if you ask me.
This is why I feel the news that Johnny Sexton will be fit in time for Ireland’s opening game against Wales is actually bad news for the nation.
The 37-year-old suffered a nasty looking cheekbone injury in Leinster’s win over Connacht at the start of the month, but the province revealed yesterday that he is expected to be fully fit in time for the Six Nations. And it feels like an opportunity lost.
Now I’m not Andy Farrell, nor am I privy to his selection plans, but this news means Sexton is now likely to play a big role in the Six Nations and we could have done without him to be honest, even if it means Ireland’s campaign suffers.
The likes of Jack Crowley, Joey Carbery and even Ross Byrne would have benefitted massively from a Six Nations without Johnny in the mix – which could have been crucial ahead of the Rugby World Cup in France.
Lindsay Peat, Greg O’Shea and I discussed this on the latest episode of House of Rugby and we were all in agreement.
“It’s probably the worst thing for us [Sexton being fit],” Peat said.
“We needed our hand forced to give the likes of Jack Crowley, Joey Carbery and Ross Byrne some time.
“10 is such a pivotal position. It takes time and maturity and unfortunately, those really harsh learnings. You also have to build up that halfback partnership with your 9/10 and you’re pivotal in all the decision making.
“And my question is – what way is Andy Farrell and his team gonna run the Six Nations? Are we gonna continue to blood those that have come through like Jack Crowley?”
When I was asked by Greg, I got straight to the point…
“We would benefit more from having Jack Crowley, Joey Carbery and Ross Byrne in playing the whole Six Nations than we would if we won a Grand Slam with Johnny Sexton,” I said.
“And I stand by that.”
“Can you get any better than winning a Grand Slam, in Twickenham, on Paddy’s Day – against England? We can’t get any higher in the Six Nations. We’ve had all our fairytale moments, we want to win a World Cup.”
What do you think? Would you sacrifice a Six Nations for a real chance at winning the Rugby World Cup in France? I know i would.
WATCH HOUSE OF RUGBY HERE:
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