Rugby guru dissects Ireland's attacking masterclass and asks if it can win them Six Nations
The combination of Ireland operating at almost 100 percent in Dublin last Saturday and Wales operating at about three percent created a very one-sided match, and sent a strong message to the rest of the contenders in this year's Six Nations.
As impressive as Ireland were in attack at the Aviva Stadium in their 29-7 bonus point win, the challenge steps up a level (or about ten) this Saturday when they face France and a Shaun Edwards defence at the Stade de France. Ireland simply looked unplayable at times against Wales, and the fluidity in play that comes from having such a large Leinster contingent paid off. But France are a different kettle of fish.
Rugby guru Geraint Davies, better known as GDD Coaching, released a video this week analysing Ireland's attack and questioning whether it is good enough to win the Championship. His expert analysis shows how every player from No1 to No15 know exactly what they are doing in attack, and that allowed them to manipulate Welsh defenders with ease in round one of the Championship, forcing the visitors to underfold to create some situations where seven defenders were covering two defenders. This created a huge amount of space elsewhere in the field, which Ireland duly exploited.
Take a look:
France team
15 Melvyn Jaminet
14 Damian Penaud
13 Gael Fickou
12 Yoram Moefana
11 Gabin Villiere
10 Romain Ntamack
9 Antoine Dupont (c)
8 Gregory Alldritt
7 Francois Cros
6 Anthony Jelonch
5 Paul Willemse
4 Cameron Woki
3 Uini Atonio
2 Julien Marchand
1 Cyril Baille
Replacements
16 Peato Mauvaka
17 Jean-Baptiste Gros
18 Demba Bamba
19 Romain Taofifenua
20 Thibaud Flament
21 Dylan Cretin
22 Maxime Lucu
23 Thomas Ramos
Ireland team
15. Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD) 17 caps
14. Andrew Conway (Munster/Garryowen) 28 caps
13. Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD) 38 caps
12. Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians) 34 caps
11. Mack Hansen (Connacht) 1 cap
10. Joey Carbery (Munster/Clontarf) 28 caps
9. Jamison Gibson Park (Leinster) 13 caps
1. Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD) 41 caps
2. Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne) 17 caps
3. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf) 53 caps
4. Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne) 26 caps
5. James Ryan (Leinster/UCD) 41 caps CAPTAIN
6. Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 13 caps
7. Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD) 36 caps
8. Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere) 23 caps
Replacements
16. Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne) 3 caps
17. Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf) 113 caps
18. Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers) 19 caps
19. Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy) 65 caps
20. Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution) 80 caps
21. Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen) 93 caps
22. Jack Carty (Buccaneers/Connacht) 10 caps
23. Robbie Henshaw (Leinster/Buccaneers) 53 caps