Gerry Thornley: Sexton and Ireland still intent on expansive strategy

The debate about their high-risk, high-reward strategy can rage all it wants, but despite leaving some chances behind against England, Ireland are not for turning.

They completed 11 offloads at Twickenham but, on four occasions inside the English 22 in the second-half alone, attempts to play the ball out of the tackle didn’t go to hand which, of course, had the added consequence of leading to scrums. And we all know what happened next.

The argument for keeping the ball and going to ground against 14 men was reinforced by the team almost going back to type in taking England through 13 phases, the longest attack of the match, for Jack Conan’s game-breaking try.

But, as a rule, successful offloads are a more potent way of breaking down defences than multiple phases. Offloading is only one aspect of Ireland's attacking game, besides which, as Johnny Sexton put it yesterday, the more Ireland pursue this policy the better they'll be.

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“There was a couple we looked at that we said we should never have thrown. There’s a couple where we said ‘yeah, good decision’. The guy that doesn’t take it [the pass] needs to take it.

That's why it is called Test rugby, because it's a huge test to be able to take those opportunities under pressure

“We know when we should be doing it and when shouldn’t be doing it. That’s the balancing act. The good teams versus the great teams, it’s those decisions, in the heat of battle, being able to decide when to throw or not throw the pass. And that’s where we have room for growth.”

That Ireland have already equaled their Six Nations high of 20 tries achieved in the 2018 Grand Slam campaign and yet left chances behind demonstrates they are on the right track.

“You would be more worried if you weren’t creating those opportunities. But that’s always been the hardest thing in rugby, taking those opportunities. You think of New Zealand over the years when they had their dominance, they were just so good at taking their opportunities, and they were so clinical.

“They wouldn’t be in the game and ‘bang’ before you know it two tries and you are going ‘how do they do that?’ So that is the room for growth for us, being able to take those. At the same time you have 15 players in the opposition who are trying to do everything in their power to stop you. That’s why it is called Test rugby, because it’s a huge test to be able to take those opportunities under pressure.”

When Ireland lost against Scotland in the Croke Park 2010 farewell, a Triple Crown probably seemed like small potatoes after the Grand Slam of the previous year. Cue a high-risk approach and it didn't pay off whereas this team is at a more advanced stage in its attacking evolution.

Going strong

Sexton and Cian Healy started that game, as did forwards coach Paul O'Connell, although surprisingly the current Irish captain admitted: "I can't actually remember the game plan in 2010, funnily enough. It was 12 years ago.

He remembers the Scottish back-row and Dan Parks being outstanding, Ireland starting well, and one other thing.

“I remember the stand-off over the penalty,” he recalled with a chuckle, as Ronan O’Gara waited on the sidelines to replace him but couldn’t do so until Sexton had taken a penalty at goal, which he landed.

“Deccy [Kidney] was trying to take me off to get ‘Rog’ on to take the kick. I nailed the kick and ran back to my position as if I wasn’t going to come off then. He still yanked me off.”

A dozen years on Sexton is still going strong and not shirking the physical stuff, witness the 54th minute last Saturday, with the score 15-12, when he gathered a box kick by Ben Youngs to be hit by Maro Itoje.

But with Peter O'Mahony and Hugo Keenan leading the cavalry to save their captain, Ireland survived that scare and Sexton went on to guide the ship home.

Sexton has been through some tough times, not least when concussive issues prompted a huge focus on him, so he can identify with the unfortunate James Ryan after his latest brain injury.

“Yeah, definitely, when it’s you and you’re in that situation, it’s really tough because speculation is the one thing that doesn’t help.

“All I can say about it is that he was in good form after the game, he was in good health. It’s not like he’s struggling big time, and I think the hit that he got was particularly bad. I don’t think many people would have stayed on after it, whether they’d had a concussion previously or not.

“He’s going to see the best people in the world about it and make sure that he is 100 per cent when he comes back, whenever that is. The IRFU will look after him, Leinster will look after him and that’s one of the best things about being at home is that you are really well looked after.

“He won’t come back until he’s 100 per cent ready. He’s played a lot of rugby since his last one and he hasn’t had any issues, and he’s taken some big knocks. So I don’t think his tolerance or anything is decreasing. It was a pretty bad wallop and that can happen in the game.”