It may not be a team of all the talents, their season had the humblest of beginnings and this was, by no means, a classic, but all these factors made the Irish under-21s second Triple Crown in three years all the more commendable.
Founded on a tremendous squad spirit and on heroic - at times Herculean - defence they presented an impenetrable green line to an English side who were seeking a grand slam at Richmond yesterday.
Aside from doing the basics well, particularly in the line-out where Michael O'Driscoll won a host of ball from the front of the line, the Irish pack competed unrelentingly in the many close-in exchanges which punctuated a forward-orientated game. A pernickety Italian referee, who gave 38 penalties and had to be engaged at length by his English assistants, didn't help the game's fluidity.
The back row of Aidan McCullen, Leo Cullen and David Wallace played well, each making a big tackle count. Wallace, responding superbly to his demotion from the A side, seemed to have a sixth sense as to where the ball was going to be, forced turnovers in contact, supported the Irish ball-carrier superbly and was probably the man-of-the-match.
Tom Tierney and Ronan O'Gara were very solid at halfback, rarely making a mistake and keeping the ball in front of the pack. The Cork Constitution outhalf, along with Wallace and the excellent midfield partnership of Cian Mahony and Shane Horgan, pushed up into their hosts' faces, hit them hard and often, and ultimately irritated England to the point of distraction. It was a magnificent, disciplined defensive effort.
After O'Gara kicked Ireland into an early lead, Wallace set the tone for the Irish resistance to follow when shunting Ross Beattie back from a third attempted pickup and go off the base of a five metre scrum, thus forcing a turnover. When the highly touted Wasps' scrum-half Martyn Wood was driven back by three Irish shirts soon after, lengthy home pressure had come to nought.
O'Gara helped sow further seeds of doubt in the home camp with another penalty, and was only fractionally wide with a drop goal attempt after Wallace had supported Mahony's burst.
A great hit by Horgan on dangerman Leon Lloyd, well taken on by Mahony, led to the out-half's third penalty of the half.
The English pack tried to rumble over the line but Ireland weren't having it. However, the tactic eventually sucked in sufficient numbers for replacement out-half James Brown to put Jonathan Pritchard through a big gap.
Ireland tottered - Lloyd carving through the middle - but covering tackles by Tom Keating and Gareth McCullough, saved a likely try. The crisis over, Ireland moved inexorably downfield, playing out time in the English half. After a sequence of scrum shoves, only a foot in touch by Sheldon Coulter prevented the coup de grace. Moments later, they were jumping into each other's arms again. "They're a young squad and nine of them will be eligible again next year," said the man with the midas touch Gerry Murphy, while heaping praise on co-coach Brian McLaughlin. Given the start to the season it hardly pointed to a Triple Crown success. "Certainly not, having been beaten by 60 points by the Irish Colleges."
Scoring sequence: 6 mins: O'Gara penalty, 0-3; 25: O'Gara penalty, 0-6; 38: O'Gara penalty, 0-9; 62: Pritchard try, Brown conversion, 7-9.
England Under-21: I Balshaw (Bath); L Lloyd (Leicester), M Oliver (Orrell), J Pritchard (Bath), M Horak (Leicester); A Yapp (Bedford), M Wood (Wasps); V Hartland (Coventry), A Long (Bath, capt), E Webb (Leicester), J Beardshaw (Wasps), J Brownrigg (Bristol), J Cockle (Moseley), R Beattie (Newcastle), L Moody (Leicester). Replacements: J Brown (Coventry) for Yapp (half-time), J Bramell (Northampton) for Wood (57 mins), J Winterbottom (Wasps) for Brownrigg (67 mins); Temporary - J Ewens (Bedford) for Pirtchard (67-74 mins).
Ireland Under-21: T Keating (Blackrock College); S Coulter (Ballymena), S Horgan (Lansdowne), C Mahony (Dolphin), G McCullough (Instonians); R O'Gara (Cork Constitution), T Tierney (Garryowen); M Horan (Shannon), F Sheahan (Cork Constitution), M Cahill (Bohemians), M O'Driscoll (UCC), J Duffy (Galwegians), A McCullen (Lansdowne), L Cullen (Blackrock College), D Wallace (Garryowen). Replacements - I McLaughlin (London Irish) for Cahill (57 mins).
Referee: C Giacomel (Italy).
