Gordon D’Arcy: A blend of the old and new is making Ireland great again

The Rassie Erasmus team talk before the World Cup final has entered the public domain.

“Now you are playing well, you are giving people hope,” the former Munster director of rugby told his Springboks. “If you are playing shit today you don’t have the right to drop your head. It is not about you. If you miss a tackle you must jump up and go do the next clean out. If you miss a high ball you must go up for the next one.

“So boys, get yourself in 120 battles and win 80 of them,” said Rassie before the 32-12 defeat of England in Yokohama. “Don’t get yourself into 50 and lose only four . . . you don’t have the right to worry about yourself. Don’t worry about your mistakes. I’ll worry about your mistakes and if you make too many . . . ”

Andrew Conway clearly lives by similar words. His performance against Wales was exceptional but, equally, his standards these past few years have never dipped.

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I remember Leinster capping "Bomber" as a teenager way back in 2010. First thing he did under the Anglesea stand was step and sprint down field to create a try for Johnny Sexton. Instant superstardom has been 10 years in the making. Last Saturday we saw a performance that screamed: "I want to keep this jersey."

I wrote about Antoine Dupont forcing French forwards to charge into contact against England. Similarly, Conway forced Conor Murray to return his game to a familiar level. "Put that box kick up there and I'll get it back for us," went Conway through his actions. Just shows that even a winger can connect the entire team.

We know that 2019 was so difficult for Ireland partly due to 2018. We know how rival teams like England, Wales and Japan put the Grand Slam and victory over New Zealand under a microscope. We know that Sexton was injured at vital moments. Joey Carbery too.

Last year Ireland individuals were suffocated. The space Jacob Stockdale was accustomed to gliding into was flooded. Murray’s box kicking was not yielding the usual territorial rewards because his chasers were bumped and blocked. The lineout could no longer rely on Dev Toner while Tadhg Furlong and James Ryan struggled to make close-in metres. Some people wanted CJ Stander out of the team.

None of these players have greatly evolved – well, Ryan continues to grow before our eyes – but they did need to find a way of re-exerting their influence on major Test matches.

The captaincy has made Sexton an even more dangerous prospect – to opponents – with an all consuming version of his best self.

Murray’s response to John Cooney’s fantastic form for Ulster was evident against Wales. I’m sure Conor was not motivated by external talk. Or even Cooney’s presence. The pass he threw for Jordan Larmour’s try, just like Dupont, gave the Ireland fullback no option but to power onto the ball. The pass also forced Nick Tompkins to defend with his body turned fully towards the touchline. Larmour killed him by stepping off his right.

While the rest of us were still digesting last year's failure, Farrell and a new leadership group were mapping out this Six Nations

Stander, who I still think is best suited to blindside, can do no more to silence doubters. Toner is now part of a replacements bench that made a real impact, Dave Kilcoyne and Andrew Porter in particular.

Stockdale and Conway forced themselves way into the match by coming off their wings and expertly contesting high balls. And they made their tackles. The fundamentals on show remain a legacy of the Joe Schmidt era.

Most impressive of all, from my perch in the West stand, was Ireland's attack shape. If you played the game at any decent level you can see where they are trying to go. The Welsh defence were surprised by the same Ireland, same players, operating off a new shape. Sexton put it succinctly at the weekend; they are not starting from scratch but the way Andy Farrell wants his team to attack is different. By cleverly mixing old and new, all of a sudden, Eddie Jones and England do not have clarity to prepare for Ireland's visit to Twickenham.

Plenty of the squad were humiliated in London last August and almost the entire team won a Grand Slam over there in ’18. All of them now appear to be on the same page again.

After ITV comms duties were over on Saturday I popped into the Investec box to visit my former boss in Investec Michael Cullen. The rugby chat could just as easily have been about business; you design a strategy then live and die by that decision.

That's what happened in 2019. While the rest of us were still digesting last year's failure, Farrell and a new leadership group were mapping out this Six Nations. If they failed to turn the page it could easily be zero wins from two outings.

Scotland turned up in Dublin. I know they were hampered by the Finn Russell saga – that's what it becomes when a star outhalf mid-tournament tells The Sunday Times about his inability to work with head coach Gregor Townsend – and Stuart Hogg botching a certain try (God help him, that's two major errors in as many games).

Wales also showed up in Dublin. There is few sweeter feelings on a rugby pitch than realising your opposite number, in his first Test start, is struggling. If I could sense Nick Tompkins was in trouble then Robbie Henshaw was already in predator-smells-injured-prey mode.

Henshaw had carried for 80 metres by half-time. He was fantastic at outside centre, ridiculing concerns about his ability to provide a creative spark by dominating contact to free his hands for the offload.

When Robbie was forced off Keith Earls arrived with a performance that, again, rubbishes talk about his ability to play centre. I'd love to have thrown that pass to Jordan Larmour in space.

I know how many hours Keith would have worked on handling skills to perform that fundamental task a millisecond before George North smashed him.

The international coach must make a decision and that’s it. You journey down that path. It’s not like Stuart Lancaster or Johann van Graan implementing their philosophies in Leinster or Munster, only to realise certain aspects cannot work with the players at their disposal. They always have another week to alter the system.

Eddie O’Sullivan infamously – yet ambitiously – attempted to change the way we played after the 2007 Six Nations. Eddie, like Joe, got hammered when the wheels came off on the road from Bordeaux to Paris but the aim was to win the World Cup. We never did swing for the fences because half way through the preseason the new ball-playing approach was abandoned. In the end, well, you may have heard what happened. History is inescapable.

Eddie Jones will pore over these Irish wins but England have their own problems, mainly at scrumhalf, with injury to Manu Tuilagi putting the Ford-Farrell midfield under review, again.

Andy Farrell has seven weeks from late January to early March to prime this squad. That’s why a bonus point victory over Wales, keeping old ways yet implementing new methods, is exceptional.

Yes, it is the standard they have now set for themselves. Yes, they want to play this way in every game. And yes, any sort of a dip will be exposed by England, and France in Paris, but what we witnessed on Saturday must be applauded.

Eddie Jones will pore over these Irish wins but England have their own problems, mainly at scrumhalf, with injury to Manu Tuilagi putting the Ford-Farrell midfield under review, again. Owen Farrell is not a natural 12 and George Ford is only the best England outhalf with front foot ball. Ergo, Tuilagi makes that midfield work.

Ireland got thumped by them last year – twice – due to losing gainline contests and a disastrous lineout in August. Right now, in the gap week, both of these areas have been fixed. Rob Herring was presumably retained at hooker due to his set piece relationship with Iain Henderson.

Elsewhere, Larmour, running ball back, kept looking for the middle of the pitch. When I saw Jordan and Aki popping up as first receivers on the short side, Mike Catt’s coaching was apparent. Sexton hangs in behind the ruck, allowing him to go one way or the other, depending where he thinks the defence is suspect. It also means Johnny is an inside pass option for the first receiver. This changes his threat to the defences.

England are seeing what I am seeing. All of this will be sternly examined in the latest Triple Crown showdown at Twickenham

That’s new. What’s old is attacking off scrumhalf, which can still be very effective, but what really impressed me was players other than Sexton taking ownership for the attack shape.

None of this would be highlighted if Ireland’s defence in their own 22 hadn’t been so disciplined. Already under severe pressure, imagine if Hadleigh Parkes’ try had stood? Same goes for Hogg the week before.

You make your own luck. The honesty and commitment of the Irish defence on their own line was as good as anything I’ve been a part of when Leinster and Ireland were winning trophies.

England are seeing what I am seeing. All of this will be sternly examined in the latest Triple Crown showdown at Twickenham. I know a little about such days. There were glorious moments in 2004 and 2006 but I cannot forget my dodgy drop goal attempt when we were being pumped in 2012. It can go either way over there but, and this is always temporary, they currently exist in that flow state every athlete craves.

A prime example has to be Conway but also Earls, who is forcing a selection conversation about a backline that is purring again. Farrell was right when he said “competition is a friend of ours.”