Six Nations 2023: Andy Farrell welcomes Ireland having a bigger target on their backs

Rarely has an Irish team earned such a thoroughly well-deserved rest and never again should the suggestion of doing away with rest weeks in the Six Nations be even countenanced. The World Cup will be a different matter but making either Ireland or France play again after Saturday’s epic at the Aviva would be bordering on cruelty.

Andy Farrell’s squad will have a two-day camp next Thursday before regrouping next week for the third leg of a shot at a first title in five years in Rome, or perhaps something even grander, after the 32-19 win over France.

Italy were beaten 31-14 by England in Twickenham on Sunday but there was enough in their performance to suggest this is probably the most exciting Azzurri side in the Championship’s history.

Struggling at scrum and maul time, Italy trailed 19-0 at half-time but, again ignited by the electric Ange Capuozzo, they rallied with some dynamic running rugby. Ultimately forcing 40 missed English tackles, Italy scored fine tries by tighthead Marco Riccioni and replacement scrumhalf Alessandro Fusco.

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Little about Italy’s display will dispel Farrell’s initial post-match feeling that their opponents’ clear improvement and the timing of round three makes squad rotation a reality.

“It’s not, is it? It’s a tough one for us because every Test match is always a pressurised situation anyway but they’re a good side. They’re playing some unbelievable rugby as we know through the autumn, and they’ve started like that again,” he said in the satisfying glow of Saturday’s cracker against the French.

Italy came into the Championship on the back of winning five out of seven, and Farrell said: “The headlines are going to be that somebody has ‘slipped up in Italy’ but they’re earning the right to win those games.

“When you throw into the mix a lack of game time for some of our lads and there’s a fallow week into that game and then into another fallow week, continuity is pretty important as well.

“Again, the four points/the five points on offer are just the same as this week and full respect to Italy for what they’re doing at this moment in time.”

While Robbie Henshaw is rehabbing back with the squad, the Irish head coach didn’t sound overtly optimistic on the prospects of Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong and Jamison Gibson-Park coming back into the mix for Rome. There will be a squad update on Monday but Farrell also admitted that Tadhg Beirne’s leg injury “didn’t look good”.

“One or two of them might be a stretch, but one or two of them could make it as well.”

Heaven knows how many games Farrell has played or coached in over the last three decades since making his debut for Wigan at the age of 16, but even he struggled to place last Saturday’s pulsating contest between the world’s two top-ranked sides into context.

“I dunno, I’ll have to watch it back. Honestly. It was end-to-end, wasn’t it? There was some phenomenal stuff at times,” he said, almost in awe himself.

“But I know there is some sore bodies in there. There is a squad of 23 players but only 10 were able to go to [post-match] ‘commercial’ [engagements]. That says a lot like. There is some bruised and battered bodies. People say ‘why is there is a fallow week in Test rugby?’ You can see after a contest like that the reason why.”

First and foremost, this was a momentous and hugely significant stand-alone win in its own right.

“Well, there’s all sorts that’s been thrown into the pot today, that makes the pot look special; us going for 13 on the bounce here is a record which somebody else will have to try and beat, and hopefully we can continue for that to carry on.

“How they [France] are unbeaten, the three lads on their 50th cap, but more than anything it’s about the ‘W’ isn’t it? It’s about the win, and that’s all it’s about, five points, and 10 after two rounds is a great place to be. But, again, it’s a win that we’ve ticked off now and we have to move on to the next one.”

Ireland’s bonus-point win not only keeps them fractionally above Scotland, their penultimate opponents in Murrayfield, atop the table as the only two unbeaten sides after two rounds, but vindicated their status as the world’s number one side and makes them an even more prized scalp.

Typically, that’s all fine by Farrell.

“It’s been asked for a couple of months now and we’ve not shied away from the fact that it’s just about us and improving our game, and embracing the fact that there’s a bit of a bigger target on your back.

“And that can only be good for us because the more different type of situations that we can put ourselves in, especially when the opposition is going to be a step above normality, is a great test for us and see whether we can deal with that type of pressure.”

This Irish team have made an altogether better start to a World Cup year than was the case four years ago when derailed by the English chariot in the opening game, but that is of no concern to Farrell.

“It’s irrelevant to us. I don’t buy into it at all. I know the question has to be asked because history tells you that’s what’s happened in the past but it’s all irrelevant to us. The only thing that matters to us is where we’re at and where we’re going. It’s as simple as that.”

More immediately, in his final Six Nations, Johnny Sexton is acutely aware of he prize(s) that could now be on offer in the final game at home to England on St Patrick’s weekend.

“It’s not worth anything if we let it slip now against Italy in the next game,” said the Irish captain.

“It’s been clear from the start, what we want to achieve. It goes unsaid but everyone knows what we want to do. We won a Triple Crown last year, but we want to go better this year.

“That’s what we speak about, to keep going on a trajectory like this as opposed to 2019 when we dipped. So, to get better is to win a Championship or a Grand Slam.”