Joe Schmidt’s Ireland and Leinster don’t seem to tally

Ireland stand on the brink of history. Victory against England would equal the all-time Irish record of 10 wins in succession achieved in 2002 and 2003 under Eddie O'Sullivan. Were it to be followed with a win in Wales, it would set a new Irish landmark of 11 wins in a row, and better still a 12th straight win in Edinburgh and accompanying Grand Slam, thus retaining the title for the first time since 1949, would enhance the claims of this Ireland team as simply the best in history.

It would certainly make it the most 'winning' Irish team ever although admittedly there is a long, long way to go yet; starting with England next Sunday. For next Saturday's Anglo-Irish meeting, read the 2003 Grand Slam winner-takes-all shoot-out at Lansdowne Road. Then, as now, England had won four out of five in finishing runners-up over the previous three campaigns, and, desperately wanting a title in a World Cup year, beat Ireland 46-6. England were also the last team to beat Ireland, 13-10 in Twickenham last year, on the same third and pivotal weekend of the Six Nations.

Since then, Ireland's nine-match winning streak began with a seven-try, 46-7 rout of Italy in Brian O'Driscoll's creative farewell to the Aviva, and the thrilling three-tries-to-two win in the Stade de France which sealed a first title since the 2009 Slam.

There followed a first Test series in the southern hemisphere, in Argentina, since 1979; an unbeaten autumn comprising the scalps of South Africa and Australia, and two opening wins as defending champions.

So what’s with the grumbling?

As pure rugby spectacles, the latter two wins against Italy and France weren’t terribly entertaining for the vast majority of rugby fans. Ireland’s two tries to date came against an Italian side reduced to 14 men, and they created only one clear try-scoring chance against France – who were also reduced to 14 men at the time. Then again, Ireland have only conceded one try, which was also with 14 men, so this is as much a commentary on the modern game as it is on Ireland, witness Gerald Davies’ complaints about Wales not playing with width.

Spoiled rotten

Admittedly, Joe Schmidt’s Ireland somehow doesn’t seem to quite tally with Joe Schmidt’s

Leinster

. Schmidt arrived in Leinster vowing to improve their passing and catching skills, and their finishing. They were true to his word. Leinster won successive Heineken Cups and reached successive league finals before signing off the Schmidt era with a Challenge Cup/league double with the most exciting brand of rugby in the northern hemisphere, full of strike moves, running from deep, line-breaks and offloads. Leinster fans et al were spoiled rotten.

By dint of reaching two finals in each of the three seasons under Schmidt’s watch, Leinster played 33 games each season, scoring 78, 80 and 92 tries at per-game averages of 2.36, 2.42 and 2.78. Overall, Leinster scored 250 tries under Schmidt at an average of 2.52 per game.

It's interesting to note that while Ireland's potency seems to have been reduced in this Six Nations so far last Saturday's game was the first try-less Irish performance since the second game under Schmidt when losing 32-15 to Australia in November 2013.

Furthermore, Ireland’s strike rate of 41 tries in 15 games under Schmidt at an average of 2.7 per game compares favourably with Leinster’s record under Schmidt. Meanwhile, Ireland have conceded 22 tries in 15 tests at an average of 1.46 under Schmidt, while Leinster conceded 143 in 99 games during his three years, at an average of 1.44.The parsimonious nature of Ireland’s defence is arguably a much greater achievement.

Current and former players admit that even the very hardest European Cup games are akin to easy internationals. Leinster wouldn’t have offloaded and scored tries freely away to Clermont, for example.

Sharper

Ireland have produced some of the same plays as they used to do at Leinster but the reaction times of international players are significantly sharper than they are of club players. Everyone in an international team is one of the sharpest players in his club side. Hence, the average Test player sees things more quickly than the average club player and so is better able to read a situation defensively.

Some slack also has to be afforded this Irish team in the post-O’Driscoll era. In truth Ireland have never been notable off-loaders and Brian O’Driscoll was usually the primary exponent of them. In the win over Italy last season, Ireland made nine offloads, and O’Driscoll was responsible for four of them.

Ireland had the fewest offloads in last season’s Six Nations with 27, but Schmidt has repeatedly stated that the players have a licence to play what they see in front of them, and this includes offloading. He also points out that Ireland were the leading try scorers (with 16) in last season’s Six Nations.

“If they see an opportunity and they want to make the most of it, then they know they have the licence to play.”

“It’s just a case of what the leaders, the guys on the pitch, feel is necessary at any given time. That allows them to be relatively autonomous on the pitch and to make, in the most part, really good decisions. It’s an important part of us keeping tempo in the game, keeping our opponents guessing and I think to a degree it encourages players’ enjoyment of the game. They’re risk-takers, they like to get out and try to match up, see what they can do to be inventive and to encourage a game that’s something they enjoy.”

Lest we forget, Ireland did score a couple of tries in each of the wins over South Africa and Australia, but this is still a revamped three-quarter line, with a brand new midfield combination which will only improve, and was operating outside a playmaker in his first game for three months. Robbie Henshaw is still adapting to inside centre and likewise Jared Payne is a better fullback than centre, but with Rob Kearney in such cracking form, this is making the best of their resources.

Try that got away

Take the try that got away against France when Ireland created an overlap off a driving maul and decoy runners only for Johnny Sexton’s pass to hit Payne in the face. As Alan Quinlan highlighted in these pages last Wednesday, Payne ran the wrong line rather than holding his depth. Not surprisingly given he has played so much of his rugby with

Ulster

at fullback, Payne ran a classically 15 line back inside in an attempt to find the hole in the French defence, rather than drift and provide the link with Sexton to Kearney and Simon Zebo on the outside – as O’Driscoll would most probably have done.

Result? Try to Ireland for a 22-6 lead and different game. But these things will come with time. This was only the third time the Sexton-Henshaw-Payne combination had played together.

It’s also worth noting that, judging by their public utterances at any rate, there is little frustration amongst the players over the relative lack of tries to date.

During the week Robbie Henshaw admitted that finishing off moves would be a primary focus in training, and admitted: “we have a lot more to offer in terms of our attack.” Yet the youngest member of the squad also betrayed a comfort in where the team was at and what it is about.

“I think in terms of our kicking strategy we play a really smart game as well. We’re not just a crash-it-up team. We look for space in behind teams. We look to exploit some space and put the pressure back on teams.

“So our gameplan is quite smart and some teams just don’t know really what’s going to happen.”

This wasn’t said in a remotely cocky or arrogant way; it just betrayed his and the players’ trust in their degree of preparedness and their way of playing. Indeed, under Schmidt, it’s hard to recall an Irish team ever being so tactically flexible.

It’s also too tempting to rush to judgement based on just two matches. There will probably be at least one Irish performance in this Six Nations which will be very attack orientated and yield tries. For example, Wales-Ireland games tend to be loose, with like-minded attacking approaches. It takes two to tango.

This might not happen next Sunday though. England are infinitely more organised defensively under Andy Farrell than France and will be less inclined to let Ireland play. They try to suffocate teams and deny them possession. Nor will they be as ill-disciplined as France, and thus concede 14 penalties and afford Sexton and Ireland six penalty shots at goal. France’s approach also meant Ireland were not able to generate as much in the way of quick, multiphase ball. All a team can do is take their opportunities, in whatever form those opportunities come.

Ireland have lost their last four meetings with England, and last year’s try by Rob Kearney in the 13-10 defeat at Twickenham was their only try in those four games. Off an inside ball by Jamie Heaslip moving cross-field off a ruck, it too was a reprise of a Leinster move, notably the Cian Healy try off an inside pass by Kearney in the semi-final win away to Clermont in 2012, even down to the same 42nd minute.

In other words, expect another taut, tight and titanic struggle. And if one try is enough for another attritional Irish win, there won’t be too many complaints amongst the home supporters.