Ireland have won back-to-back titles for the first time since 1949 after a thrilling finale to the 2015 Six Nations competition

by Paul Cook –

Ireland have been crowned Six Nations champions for the second year in a row following arguably the most amazing day of rugby in the history of the competition.

Going into the last round, four countries – Ireland, England, Wales and France – had a chance to emerge as the winner, and with it the cache of being the de facto finest team in Europe going into the World Cup, held in England in September/October.

With the three deciding matches held sequentially in Rome (Italy v Wales), Edinburgh (Scotland v Ireland) and London (England v France) respectively, a potential Super Saturday was the drawcard for rugby followers in the week leading up to kick-off. But nobody could have predicted the sheer madness and excitement that ensued as records tumbled left, right and centre.

The state of play prior to the opening whistle in the Eternal City meant that Ireland, England and Wales were tied on 8 championship points and separated only by actual points differential. To that end, England had their noses in front at +37, followed by the Irish with +33 and then the Welsh, with a seemingly distant +12.

George North races away for the second of his three second-half tries in Rome

France – on only 6 championship points after two wins from their four matches – needed wins for both Italy and Scotland, and a 19pt victory over England, in order to procure an unlikely triumph. Based on the form of the previous few weeks, the likely expectation was that all three main protaganists would win, with Wales falling short points-wise to leave England and Ireland to duke it out, albeit on separate battle fields.

The twist in the tail however, began in Rome. Leading the Azzurri by only a point at half-time, 14-13, Welsh hopes had quickly downgraded from the feint optimism of glory to self-preservation and the avoidance of an impending upset. Cue George North.

The dynamic winger, still only 22-years-old, who set about the Wallabies in such demonstrative fashion for the British & Irish Lions two years ago, again stepped up to the plate when his country came calling, delivering a hat-trick of tries within 10 breathtaking minutes to break the game open and break Italian hearts in the process. So much so, that gaping holes began to appear in the home side’s defence and the visitors, suddenly sniffing blood in the water, broke free from their ‘Warrenball’ shackles to run riot.

They racked up seven tries in that second half, a national record for 40 minutes of football, as they completed an emphatic 61-20 victory. That in turn boosted their points differential to +53, catapulting them to the top of the table, ending France’s interest in the process, and laying down a rather large gauntlet to their two remaining challengers.

A penny for the thoughts then of the Irish players in the dressing sheds at Murrayfield, as they faced up to the reality of the task that now lay before them. Not only did they need to beat Scotland on their own ground, a Scotland side who had upset them on their last visit in 2013, and who came into the game winless and desperate to avoid the dreaded wooden spoon, they now needed to do so by 21pts. And that had only happened in Edinburgh twice before in 138 years.

Leading by example, as is often the case, was talismanic skipper Paul O’Connell, driving over for a try with only four minutes on the clock. He was followed in the 24th minute by a rampaging Sean O’Brien to make it 17-3. So far, so good. But a Scottish side whose poor results belied their visible improvements under coach Vern Cotter, rallied hard in front of a vocal support and by the end of the first half, were still in touching distance at 20-10.

It was time for an Irish side – so impeccably well drilled by coach Joe Schmidt that their execution and precision in almost every facet of the game was suddenly being labelled as ‘boring’ – to cut loose, flex their muscles and show their true potential as an attacking force.

And, perfectly illustrating exactly why they should be considered a genuine threat to walk away with the William Webb Ellis trophy in six months time, they did just that, putting their foot on the pedal to blow the Scots away, plunder two more tries and rack up an impressive 40-10 advantage.

Skipper Paul O’Connell sets the ball rolling for Ireland with a 4th minute try

With the title drifting from their grasp, England and their supporters needed something of a historical anomaly – a favour from Scotland – in order to ameliorate their increasingly difficult task. And on 76 minutes, they thought they had it.

Scottish fullback Stuart Hogg, one of the standout players of the tournament despite his place within a winless side, crashed over despite the attentions of a valiant Jamie Heaslip, reducing the margin by a precious 5pts with a kick to come.

Scotland cheered. England cheered.

However, on referral to the TMO, the playback clearly showed that Heaslip’s lunge had not been in vain, the ball spilling from Hogg’s grasp at the crucial moment. NO TRY. 40-10. Game over.

Had Ireland’s no.8 just made the most important play of the tournament?

Wales’ interest was now officially over. Ireland’s effort, their biggest ever tally in an away fixture, had overhauled their seemingly impregnable lead. With a +57 points differential, the boys from the emerald isle were now the team to beat.

And so to Twickenham.

The self-titled ‘home of rugby’ has seen plenty of thrills, spills and enthralling clashes down the years. But a chance to win what would have been only a second Six Nations title in the 12 years since they lifted the World Cup in 2003, defeating their arch-rivals from across the Channel in the process, was a mouth-watering prospect for the Red Rose faithful.

The only problem was they now needed to do it by a clear 26pts, a margin they had achieved over Les Bleus only six times in history, four of those occurring before 1914, an era when French rugby was still very much in it’s infancy. What ensued was perhaps the craziest 80 minutes of the famous stadium’s 106 years.

Ben Youngs lights the touchpaper for a classic with a try after only 92 seconds

England started like a house on fire, Ben Youngs crossing the chalk after only 92 seconds. But in their desire to play an expansive game, chance their arm and rack up the points, they left themselves open to a French side, still predictably unfathomable under coach Phillip Saint-Andre, but still capable of mercurial moments of counter attacking rugby at the same time.

As the first quarter ticked over, the home side inexplicably trailed 15-7, and an Irish nation prepared to celebrate. But by half-time, captain Chris Robshaw had gone to the well, rallied his troops in search of greater efforts and two tries and a 27-15 lead were the result. Irish champagne was put on ice.

The second half saw all sense and sensibility go out of the window. England threw the kitchen sink at their opponents but every time they crossed the line and edged one step closer to realising the dream, the unusually resilient French plucked a score from thin air to bring them back down to earth.

27-22. 34-22. 41-25. 41-30. 48-30. 48-35. It could have been basketball.

Both teams went toe-to-toe and blow-for-blow with defence taking a back seat, the pendulum swinging one way and the other until young winger Jack Nowell plundered his second and England’s seventh try in the 75th minute to make it 55-35, the most points ever scored by England against France.

They were now only one converted try away from claiming the unlikeliest of prizes. With a minute remaining and the HQ crowd quite literally roaring, France collapsed a scrum and flyhalf George Ford kicked the penalty to touch for a 10 metre lineout and one final assault on the French line.

The nations of England and Ireland collectively held their breath as the driving maul duly rumbled forward, inching closer to potential triumph or disaster, depending on your lineage. The French line, creaking and cracking under the strain, appeared to collapse the maul, bodies skittled to the floor and referee Nigel Owens went to his whistle.

‘PENALTY TRY!’ screamed 75,000 local partisans, rising from their seats ready to anoint their heroes.

But in an anti-climax to end them all, Owens brought the curtain down on the game, the tournament and six of the craziest hours of rugby the Northern Hemisphere has ever witnessed when he uttered in his inimitable Welsh brogue, ‘Sealing off, penalty to France’.

England were left devastated, falling short by 6pts and thwarted on the final day for the fourth year in a row. Ireland were champions and Owens – and Jamie Heaslip – will never pay for a pint of the black stuff again.

The Agony…

…and the Ecstasy. Jamie Heaslip, whose try saving tackle against Scotland proved the difference, kicks off the celebrations at Murrayfield

The final standings

Next Week: A report card on all six nations and what it might mean for the Wallabies ahead of the World Cup