Is the stage set for an Ireland Grand Slam surge?
Ireland will have the chance to set the tone in the Six Nations in the opening two weeks of the 2022 campaign, which will make or break their hopes for the title. Andy Farrell’s men finished third in the standings last season behind winners Wales and France, the two sides that defeated the Shamrocks in the competition. Ireland have since found their form over the course of the Autumn Internationals, securing the prised scalp of New Zealand to avenge their defeat at the hands of the All Blacks in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Now they can turn their attention to revenge over their rivals in the northern hemisphere to attempt to regain the Six Nations crown for the first time since 2018. Ireland are backed at 3/1 in the Six Nations odds to triumph, putting them behind France and England in the minds of the bookmakers. There are key elements that will play a vital role in their potential success such as the fitness of Jonny Sexton. Monitoring his fitness and the form of his teammates in the rugby betting tips ahead of the tournament will be crucial before placing a bet. Ireland’s form of late has been all the more impressive considering the rebuild that has taken place within the squad over the last two years since the end of the World Cup. Sexton has been key to preserving the standards of excellence seen before the tournament, and will once again be the driving force behind a charge for the Six Nations crown, pending the fitness of the Ireland skipper. The 36-year-old did suffer a knee injury in the triumph over the All Blacks and was replaced by Joey Carbery for the closing stages, who held his composure under pressure to ensure the victory. The success of Carbery in his rare outings has highlighted the strength of Ireland’s depth, and the outstanding job Farrell has done since he replaced Joe Schmidt after the World Cup. It has not been easy for the Englishman in the role to bring forward the next generation, while also focusing on results in the short term. Ronan Kelleher, Jordan Larmour, Hugo Keenan, Caelan Doris along with Carbery are the names that are beginning to emerge as the next core of the Ireland team. Andrew Porter and James Ryan were already entrenched in the line-up, but there is now a solid complement of talent that is developing at the same time to attempt to take Ireland back to the top of the world rankings and the Six Nations. Whether the 2022 competition is too soon for the team to return to their conquering ways of old remains to be seen, especially given the quality of France and England.
Wales had the edge over Ireland last season, securing a 21-16 win at the Millennium Stadium. The result in the opener put the Irish on their heels from the off and they were never able to recover. Ireland put in an impressive performance against France on home soil, but will now face the challenge of a trip to the Stade de France in the second week of the competition. It is a daunting facing the two teams that dented Ireland’s Six Nations hopes in 2021 before they even began, but back-to-back victories in the first fortnight of the competition could set the stage for a famous tournament, and even perhaps a Grand Slam run.
