The party started long before the final whistle. A few good days to be exact. Everyone knew how this one went, despite England’s best efforts to rain on the parade.
Patrick Duffy, the former Dallas actor, pulled up in a 1965 Cadillac to kick off St. Patrick’s weekend celebrations on Friday and was presented with an emerald green birthday cake. “I’ll make a wish,” he said, closing his eyes – and not even the wishes of a million revelers could have turned this into an English victory.
During the last few minutes, 52,000 men, women and children stood and chanted the Fields of Athenry in perfect harmony. It was like listening to the world’s greatest choir. The year 2023 now stands alongside 1948, 2009, 2018 in Irish rugby history. Their fourth Grand Slam. A Grand Slam built in the image of their England coach, Andy Farrell, who may be honored with his own float when the parade returns to Dublin next year.
Off the ground, tickets for a thousand each passed from hand to hand. It’s safe to say they didn’t pay big bucks to watch Steve Borthwick’s England, even if his side returned home with some pride recovered from last week’s thrashing at Twickenham.
The Aviva Stadium has a bad reputation for its atmosphere, but the national anthem here was sung loud enough to burst the strongest eardrums. Children had their fingers in their ears as the last verse of Ireland’s appeal reached a chilling crescendo.
Ireland defeated England 29-16 to become Grand Slam champions in Dublin on Saturday afternoon
Dan Sheehan put Ireland ahead just before half-time by scoring a try after a well-developed line-out
Freddie Steward was sent off just before half-time for a dangerous tackle on Hugo Keenan
Ellis Genge downed an entire can of Red Bull before kick-off and his England team left with a point to prove. Intended to spoil the party. Watched from the highest seats in the house, Ireland’s attacks were laid out in textbook-like pictures. Runners’ pods were plotted along such elaborate lines that they could have been drawn with a ruler.
But when they got the ball, a grunting Englishman was waiting when they looked up. Jack Willis, Manu Tuilagi and Ellis Genge flew into collisions, baring their teeth and chewing the gears of the well-oiled Irish machine. They rearranged so quickly that Ireland was forced into error. With his father watching, Owen Farrell took advantage, kicking two early penalties to give England a six-point lead. Hugo Keenan spectacularly cut a evacuation kick and Irish passes hit the deck at an alarming rate. Busy? Nerves? Sure.
Ireland had to defend their line. James Lowe’s hair tie came loose as he touched Tuilagi and he flexed his arms, his jet-black locks flying about, whipping the crowd like he was headlining a heavy metal festival. This one was tighter than we expected and the Irish needed all the help they could get.
As predicted, England was also far from perfect. They slipped tackles and conceded 10 penalties in the first half alone. Genge and Alex Dombrandt took men off the ball, Maro Itoje spilled a restart and Kyle Sincker was penalized in the breakdown. Soon it was Sexton’s turn with the kicking tee.
His first kick moved him past Ronan O’Gara as the leading Six Nations points scorer, drawing the first standing ovation of the day for the No. 10. There were signs of danger as Irish runners cut through England’s defence, led by the effortless lines of Hugo Keenan and Josh van der Flier. Their first try from a perfectly executed lineout, with hooker Dan Sheehan exploiting the space around the edge of the maul. The kind of first-stage brilliance we’ve come to expect from the world’s number one side.
Robbie Henshaw’s effort just after the hour mark gave Ireland a comfortable lead over England
Sheehan broke through again late in England’s defence, taking Ireland one step closer to victory
Suddenly, in the last minute of the half, things got a lot worse for England. Freddie Steward, the most gentle man in their ranks, tried to turn away from Keenan and clumsily hit him in the face with his elbow. No harm was intended, but Jaco Peyper saw no mitigating factors and deemed it worthy of one of the softest sendoffs of the year. ‘Red card?’ argued Farrell. There were plenty of people who agreed with his surprise.
England adapted. They slowed down the game, took their time with boxing kicks and put the ball off the field. Every so often Anthony Watson would send a jolt of electricity through the stands with his footwork, throwing a few crumbs of comfort to those in the back of the high office at Twickenham.
Substitute fullback Jimmy O’Brien spilled a high ball and Genge won a penalty at the scrum, allowing Farrell to close the deficit to one with the first points of the half. Maro Itoje celebrated every small victory and rallied his teammates when Peter O’Mahony spilled the ball on contact.
Jamie George’s attempt raised hopes of an England comeback before Jack Willis’ yellow card
Rob Herring put the game beyond doubt in the dying minutes by scoring Ireland’s fourth try
Farrell needed some extra cargo in their green machine and sent Jack Conan. Moments later, Ryan Baird won a momentum-swinging turnover in his 22 and Ireland sent the ball upfield. Watson was manhandled over his tryline after claiming Sexton’s Crossfield kick and launching Ireland from the scrum. Bundee Aki worked his way through midfield and got back to his feet to send Robbie Henshaw in for the try.
There was applause when Dan Cole came on for his 100th cap, but he got a front row seat for Ireland’s next try. Using the numerical advantage on the blind side, Ireland made yards. Sheehan, the best whore in the league, collected a spectacular load from Conan to score. Finally, the score was comfortable enough for the home crowd to drink it in.
Cheers erupted when Jamie George scored from the back of a moving maul in the 72nd minute, injuring Sexton. His second standing ovation as he walked away with hands on hips. And England finished the game down to 13 players, with Willis sin-thrown for a tip tackle.
Rob Herring added the bonus points for the hosts and Bono’s sounds blared through the stadium. No one wanted to leave after the final whistle. They watched Sexton’s post-match interview in silence, waiting to see if tears would run down his face as he left the Six Nations stage for the last time. They watched the children of the players run across the field and tie themselves to the golden ribbons of the trophy presentation. The party started all over again and will no doubt continue for a few more days.
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