Six Nations tournament: Winner, Ireland gets a date in France ahead of the World Cup

The Irish didn’t really need any extra reason to celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day. But without a doubt, their national rugby team added on Saturday, March 18. A Clover XV completed a dream winter by dominating England (29-16) at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. pour remporter le Tournoi des six nations. After France’s 41-28 win over Wales, Ireland knew they absolutely had to win to keep the trophy.

He did so after kicking off the game after the vengeful Englishmen made it difficult for them against the Blues at Twickenham. But reduced to fourteen against fifteen after Freddie Steward’s card, the Roses’ XV could not withstand the euphoric Irish. Thanks to a clean slate, they add this trophy to the mention of “Grand Slam” for the fourth time in their history, after 1948, 2009 and 2018.

At the top of the world rankings for several months, Ireland looked like the best armed team at the start of the Six Nations tournament. But it was still necessary to win against France (32-19) at the peak of intensity, or resist against Scotland (22-7) in the face of a cascade of injuries, which in particular led to the hospital two of his chukkers. “They could have panicked when you see the script of the match and the strokes of fortune, but that was never the case.Former international third lineman Imanol Harinordok (82 caps) notes. The Irish give the impression that they can’t do anything. »

No one can resist Ireland and you only have to look at their latest results to see for yourself. On Saturday, the Roses XV fell victim to Andy Farrell’s men for the tenth time in a row, reluctantly joining the prestigious list of France, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand (twice). “The Irish are still well organized and strong in conquest. But they have also improved significantly technically and offensively. “ Analysis by Imanol Harinorduk.

To progress this way, the Shamrocks XV bet all their chips – or almost – on the province of Leinster. Twelve of the fifteen active players against England played for the province with four European titles. A real asset, according to former France opening half Lionel Box (24 caps): “They have an advantage in difficult moments because the players know each other by word of mouth. And their offensive schemes are so well executed that they are almost impossible to counter. » It’s been more than a decade since Jonathan Sexton, who is still the undisputed owner despite being 37 years old and the many injuries that have derailed his career.