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Joe Schmidt’s side had moved to within touching distance of
their first title since 2015 by beating
Scotland 28-8 in Dublin. Jacob Stockdale ran in two tries as Ireland
ended the visitors’ championship hopes – and left England needing a bonus-point
victory to keep the title race alive.
A four-try victory looked beyond England as they went in at
half-time level at 9-9 and France took the lead shortly after the resumption
through a penalty try to all but end the visitors’ chances of a third straight
Six Nations crown. Jonny May’s late try cut the deficit but England lost 22-16.
Ireland will now travel to Twickenham on Saturday – St Patrick’s
Day – with the title secured and targeting a landmark victory on away soil to
seal the Grand Slam, in a role reversal from last season, when England came up
short in Dublin on the final weekend, winning the title but losing the game 13-9.
Rory Best, the Ireland captain, was asked about what the Grand
Slam would mean. “It’s going to be a big game for us now,” Best said. “To put
yourself in a position to win everything, it becomes massive. There will come
moments when we have to dig deep. I’m the one lucky enough to be captain but we
have a lot of big leaders in the squad.”
Best’s coach, Joe Schmidt, said his charges “do an incredibly
difficult job and work incredibly hard. It would give me satisfaction to see
that rewarded. They’re a great bunch.”
Johnny Sexton lent some emotional context to what it would mean
for him and those who were in and around the squad when Ireland last won a
grand slam – only their second – in 2009. “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t [a
primary goal],” he said. “In 2009, Declan Kidney said I was a part of it as
much as anyone but it definitely didn’t feel that way.
“I remember the speeches made by the guys who’d been trying for
10 years and you could tell how much it meant to them. It’s similar to that now.
“It’s about dragging those young guys through. They probably
think they’ll have loads more opportunities but I know it doesn’t work like
that. I remember against Scotland at Croke Park [when the visitors won in
2010], thinking there’ll be plenty more opportunities to win a triple crown. I
still haven’t won one.”
At Twickenham he has a chance to do that and more.
