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Unlikely lads Ireland has emerged as a surprise Six Nations contender
So the battle of rugby union's Northern Hemisphere aristocrats for the coveted Grand Slam isn't to be. England against France on the final weekend was meant to decide the Six Nations championship. Then along came Ireland to bring thoughts of title showdowns forward a month or so. That's when England travel to Dublin. Both nations are unbeaten after two games. The Irish beat the French in their second outing to suddenly emerge as the challengers to widely expected English Grand Slam glory. It was Ireland's first win at home against France for 18 years. A 22-3 lead was reduced to a mere 22-15 near the finish, leading Irish coach Warren Gatland to comment: "It was a bit scary at the end." His opposite number Guy Laporte thought the French attack was scarily inept. "We were never dangerous," he declared. Mind you, England wasn't without its frightening moments at home to the championship's weakest team Italy, which made its first Six Nations visit to Twickenham and tried to get away with daylight robbery. The Italians led 20-17 after 28 minutes. Stunned disbelief spread like the plague. "In the first half, England were down there with Italy," said Italian coach Brad Johnstone frankly. "In the second half they were up there with Australia." "Up there" enough, in fact, to register a championship-record points total in an 80-23 win. England didn't panic. Clive Woodward's players know just how good they are and duly completed their anticipated rout.
One punter who bet about US$130,000 on England to triumph at odds of 1-150, just to win a relatively miniscule amount back, must have found much need for anti-perspirant about the midway point in the first half. That's unless he knew, like the rest of us, that the ample Italian audacity would eventually be buried beneath a lack of strength and energy. But then the rest of us didn't have US$130,000 slipping away to confuse our thinking. Most of the Italian minds were willing in the second half, but the limbs were oh so weak. England and the punter had their day. So onwards we go to the next round of games. While Ireland face a testing trip to Wales on March 3, England hosts Scotland hoping to avenge last season's defeat at Murrayfield -- a loss which cost it the Grand Slam just a year after Wales had similarly broken English hearts. It surely can't happen again, not with England buoyed by late-2000 wins over world champion Australia and South Africa and a 16-try start to the Six Nations; not with Jonny Wilkinson in record scoring form and earning "best number 10 in the world plaudits" from coach Woodward. Of course, it wouldn't be right if Ireland didn't look at the first 28 minutes of England against Italy and ponder an upset in Dublin. It'll also listen to Woodward's verdict that "the first half showed us we are totally vulnerable unless we get it spot-on" and imagine the Grand Slam downfall of England for the third straight year. And it'll consider all the inaccurate expert opinion which said England simply couldn't lose to Wales and Scotland the last two years, then try to convince itself a hat-trick is within reach -- whatever the odds. But no. Not this time. England will adopt a mindset of its own, one which says this increasingly formidable team is not for caving in and will not fold -- whatever the circumstances. With thoughts based in reality and desires rooted in the need to erase the sorry memories of championship seasons recently past, this England will succeed where other Englands failed.
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