IRELAND v ENGLAND: Accumulation of inches add up to a milestone on this side's quest for the elusive Grand Slam

AS CRAIG Joubert’s whistle blew for the last time and the curtain finally fell on the Croke Park odyssey, a very large English gentleman shook my hand and apologised, whilst stating that “Wales will hammer Ireland”.

Over my shoulder I heard an Irish man bemoaning a boring match. I couldn’t help but ask myself were all these people at the same match? Boring? Ireland will be hammered by Wales?

Maybe I simply adore rugby, but watching old gladiators such as Mike Tindall and Phil Vickery give their all to the English cause was never boring. Watching John Hayes on his 92nd cap battle every inch with the Minotaur, Andrew Sheridan, was never boring. Witnessing Joe Worsley’s immense tackle count of 15 bone-crunchers was never boring. Not to mention Brian O’Driscoll’s physicality, work-rate and leadership. None of which were boring.

Both teams battled for every available square inch, so much so they replicated American football coach Tony D’Amato’s unforgettable words . . .

“On this team we fight for that inch, on this team we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw our fingernails for that inch, because we know when we add up all those inches, that’s going to make the f****** difference between winning and losing, between living and dying.”

Yes, Friday night’s encounter in Paris was beautiful and entertaining, but it too was a battle of inches and France were not prepared to relinquish one inch to the Grand Slam champions. Like O’Driscoll yesterday, the French centre Yannick Jauzion was immense.

And thankfully for us, both France and Stade Francais centre Mathieu Bastareaud are firmly behind us, because the French are back.

As for O’Driscoll, he was simply superb, and why the English persisted in attacking his channel was puzzling. Even in his quieter moments in 2008 his defence has always been unquestionable. England were very naive to think he’d crack. And certainly secondrow Nick Kennedy was, finding himself dumped by O’Driscoll on the 25th minute.

Ryan Jones missed the Welsh opener against Scotland and he was anonymous against the French on Friday night. There’s no question O’Driscoll is the frontrunner for the 13 slot in South Africa, and with a 10 out of 10 performance on Saturday in all facets of the game, most notably leadership, it will certainly be an Irish Lions captain.

So where does one start reviewing Ireland’s third victory? Let’s start with the anthems. I defy any GAA stalwart to point out an occasion in Croke Park’s history where the anthem was rendered so clearly, so passionately from beginning to end. To which my dad summarised, “That’s magic”.

However, rugby by its nature can make for a poor spectacle. Where a bad match of hurling in Croke Park is still extremely entertaining, in rugby it takes a very patient spectator to appreciate the battle that unfolds, especially when it is a dogged as it was on Saturday. All over the field there were fascinating subplots.

The lineout provided one, where Paul O’Connell and his lifters once again reigned supreme. A subtle difference in their lineout defence was telling. The English, mainly through 6ft 8in beanpole Kennedy, defended in zones. Banking on the perceived arrival of the ball, they lay waiting, not moving until inevitably the ball had arrived to a moving O’Connell metres away. Opportunity missed.

Ireland, conversely, relied on their ability to move quickly on the ground. In doing so they demonstrated the greater feeling for the game. Through many hours of preparation under Gert Smal they could rely on the symbiotic relationship between lifter and jumper. This is all very telling, as the Ireland lineout has improved dramatically, allowing O’Connell and co several clean catches and, once again, the platform to attack and defend.

The defence at the tail was also interesting. Joe Worsley, a player I’ve always struggled to figure out, was incredible. He flew off the tail of the lineout time and again to hoover up space on the inside channel which laid the foundation to England’s steely defence. His outside defenders had huge confidence in his ability to police the 10 channel. Several times the tussle between himself and David Wallace at the tail became comical, with trips, flicks and decoys. Both prevented access to the other’s outhalf.

England’s interpretation of the laws has been suspect since the autumn. But to witness Toby Flood sprinting up to a fallen Rob Kearney was painful. A 10-year-old knows the player on the ground must be allowed up off the deck. But what did Flood do? Like so many of his colleagues he saw red and launched himself at the prostrate Kearney. Penalty!

It wasn’t the huge penalty count or the double yellow cards that did for England, it was the timing of the indiscretions. Obviously there’s no good time to concede 18 penalties, but there are bad times. Each one of England’s indiscretions prevented momentum which, combined with their four line-breaks, could have reversed the result.

England made it to the RWC 2007 final because of their ability to expose their opposition’s weaknesses over their own. On Saturday they nearly managed it, but this Ireland side is made of sterner stuff and should be proud of themselves.

As I departed Croke Park, I couldn’t help feeling enthused by this most basic of battles fought. It was a fantastic victory for O’Driscoll, Kidney, Croke Park and Ireland.

And finally, as I turned onto Clonliffe Road, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the lady and two kids squashed into the back seat of the car watching a DVD on the headrest, waiting dutifully for their mighty hunter to return from the big match.