Ireland are no longer the wooden spoon contenders in the Six Nations Championship
Neal Collins
A year ago, Warren Gatland’s future in Ireland looked about as secure as a hill climber in Holland or a water diviner in Britain this soggy winter. On February 5 2000 the big Kiwi had seen his Ireland side, consistent challengers for the Five Nations wooden spoon, beaten 50-18 at Twickenham; Italy had beaten Scotland in their first Six Nations outing and the men in green were the lowest of the low. Gatland placed his head on the block and said: “I’m not the sort of person who quits. We are very disappointed, but it was a fantastic English performance, the best I’ve ever seen them play. A number of our players learned a big lesson. They told me afterwards that it was a huge step up from the European Cup. We will regroup now.” And regroup they did. Scotland were thrashed 44-22, Italy humiliated 60-13 and, memorably, France were edged out 27-25 in Paris by a Brian O’Driscoll hat-trick.
A final defeat against Wales rather spoiled the renaissance inspired by Gatland, the former All Black hooker who played 17 times for his country but never in a Test. But even that couldn’t disguise the fact that the Irish had secured three successive wins for the first time since 1982, three wins in a season for the first time since 1985. Since the England defeat, the 37-year-old coach has a record of 11 games, seven wins, one draw and just three defeats 23-19 against Wales, a 34-23 reverse in Argentina and, though it was closer than it sounds, 28-18 to South Africa last November. And confirmation of his resurrection comes from Planet Rugby’s latest international rankings table, which places Ireland sixth, ahead of both Wales and Scotland though still behind the French, South Africa, England and the big two, New Zealand and Australia. Gatland, appointed in February 1998 when the pressure became too much for Brian Ashton just 13 months into a six-year contract, has finally come of age and is inspiring the rugby folk in a nation where Gaelic football, hurling and soccer compete for dominance. The 22-15 win over France in Dublin (the first time Ireland have won their opening two games in the championship for 18 years) means they remain on course for a Six Nations decider even a Grand Slam breaker at Lansdowne Road on March 24. They must visit Cardiff before that and Edinburgh afterwards, but neither of those venues currently strikes fear into Emerald Isle hearts. Gatland won’t get carried away. He argues only that: “We are trying to build momentum. We have spent the past 12 months getting various bogeys off our back. Now we have done that.” Keith Wood, the bald, beating heart of the Irish scrum, is beginning to get carried away, and he relishes the feeling: “Self-belief isn’t a bad thing. We can’t be the valiant underdogs all our lives; we don’t want to be. Some people view that as being arrogance. If they take that view, then they never really wanted to be winners. “We believed we could beat France but we also realise how hard it is to make the transition from being smashed four years ago by 40 points to this stage. If I got a bit over-animated at the end, well, I just love it.” Expect further over-animation from Wood in future weeks as he attempts to emulate Ireland’s last Slamtastic effort Karl Mullen’s post-war gathering of Green Giants way back in 1948. Wales, England and Scotland, in that order, have been warned.