Ireland look to prune the roses in Dublin

The Aviva Stadium will play host to what is sure to be a monstrous clash as old enemies Ireland and England will battle it out for pride and position in their final game of this year’s Six Nations instalment.

The hopes of the English will rest with the notion that they will conclude the tournament in the opposite way to the manner in which they commenced it.

It has truly been a rollercoaster competition for the men in white; kicking off with a shock loss to Scotland, followed by some reprieve in the form of a one-sided victory against Italy before falling to Wales under somewhat controversial circumstances. Most recently, however, England finally showed some of the old bite which has given them a revered reputation since their 2019 World Cup campaign as they strangled the fearless French 23-20 at Twickenham in Round 4.

Ireland have no hope of hoisting the trophy this year, though the rivalry that they hold with England transcends tournament formalities.

Johnny Sexton’s charges have put together a brace of victories so far with as many losses. Round 1 saw them play the majority of a gritty game with 14 men after Peter O’Mahony was red carded in the 13^th minute and subsequently suspended. The big flanker is now available again for selection, however. In a recent interview, O’Mahony spoke of the incident:

"Look, when it comes to the breakdown and it comes to international rugby, you have to be incredibly urgent, you've got to be incredibly accurate and you've got to bring physicality," O'Mahony said.

"These incidents happen. It's a very physical game.

"You know, I've always played hard, I've always played fairly in my opinion. Look, I 100% was in the wrong with what happened and the incident.

"But I think my team-mates know better than anyone that I was acting with the best intent with the best intentions for the team and unfortunately that's what happened."

In Ireland’s second encounter of the tournament, they were faced with a tough challenge of which they very nearly got the better; France. The game played out in Dublin and took the form of a gritty affair which could have gone either way, the final whistle sounding with the score at 15-13 in favour of Charles Ollivon and co.

After two consecutive losses, Ireland then had the opportunity to shed their losing skin against Italy, which they did in commanding fashion with an end score of 48-10.

Last weekend saw them sneak home against the Scots at Murrayfield, a game after which they would have breathed a sigh of relief.

The Irish camp was rocked by the news this week that stalwart loose-forward CJ Stander plans to retire at the conclusion of the current season and return to South Africa. This, then, could quite possibly be Stander’s last game for Ireland – a prospect which is bound to evoke plenty of emotion from the men in green – although he could still turn out for the national side during the mid-year test window.

Stander made the following statement regarding his decision to call time on what has been a magnificent career for the 30 year-old:

‘All professional sports people are told “You will know when the time is right to hang up your boots”.

‘It’s a sentiment one cannot fully comprehend until that day arrives. For me, that time has come, and I hereby publicly announce my retirement from all forms of rugby. I will be available to represent Munster until 27 June 2021 when my contract expires, and for International duty, until the end of the mid-year Test window.

‘During the lockdown, I did a stocktake of what matters most to me in life. My faith, family and this incredible game I have played since I was six years old easily topped the list. However, I came to the realisation that my commitment to rugby has started to take an unfair toll on my family, who both in Limerick and South Africa have made considerable sacrifices for more than 25 years to allow me to live my dream.

‘I am not saddened by my decision. I’ve had a full and utterly enjoyable rugby career, and I can now look back on a journey that offered me rewards, memories and surprises beyond anything I could have scripted for myself. I wouldn’t change a thing. The 150 matches I played for Munster were some of the most precious and formative experiences of my life. My blood will remain Munster Red long after I have said my goodbyes to the people of Limerick.

‘I have just played my 50th Test for Ireland. I have never considered myself a foreigner in an Irish jumper, but I knew this environment would only reward hard work, devotion and the forging of authentic relationships. My first steps towards the Test arena were taken from the welcoming midst of the people of Limerick. In 2012, arriving as a 22-year-old who only had two kitbags flung over his shoulders and a limited command of English, I had to commit myself to a new family who immediately adopted me as one of their own. Limerick became my home.

‘It was during a freezing training session at Munster towards the end of 2020 that I just knew I had entered the final stretch of my career. I asked myself whether I was still enjoying this enough to earn the continued support of Munster and Ireland, and to justify the sacrifices my family was making. From a performance perspective, the answer was yes. But I always had the intent to retire while I was still playing some of my best rugby. I also knew I wanted my daughter Everli to grow up around her family in South Africa. When all these intentions and considerations intercepted each other during that training session, I discussed the implications thereof with coach Johann van Graan and the Irish Rugby Union. I deeply appreciate that they tried to persuade me otherwise, but I knew it was time. I will be playing my final matches as a professional athlete with contentment and gratitude for what was and for what lies ahead in the next chapter of my life.

‘I have many people to thank, and I will do most of the thanking in a private setting. For now, I want to say thank you to my parents, Jannie and Amanda, my brother Janneman, my wife Jean-Marié, my daughter Everli, and my family-in-law as well: Ryk Sr, San-Marie, Ryk, and Elsje. Your boundless love and support carried me.

‘Thank you to my agent, Gerrie Swart. You convinced me that Limerick was a great fit for me, and you have never been more right about anything. I also sincerely value your guidance during this transitional time.

‘I reserve a special word of thanks to the late Anthony “Axel” Foley. Your impact on my personal and professional life remains as tangible today as it was when you were still with us.

‘Thank you to Johann van Graan for being such a powerful and formative force in my life. You first started coaching me when I arrived for training in Pretoria as a 17-year-old. Now, 14 years later, we’re having an Irish pint to celebrate a lifelong friendship.

‘Thank you to the people of Ireland, my larger rugby family in Limerick, the Irish Rugby Union, Joe Schmidt, who first selected me to play for Ireland, Andy Farrell, who continued to back me, and every teammate and member of management I have had the honour of sharing a dressing room with.

‘Not only has my English [marginally] improved thanks to your intervention, but you also pushed me to become a better player, man, husband and father. As I now shift my focus squarely back to my family, I do so hoping that I’m leaving the Irish jersey in an even better space than when I first inherited it. Ireland has enormous talent breaking through the ranks, and it is now time for me to step back and allow a new generation of players to answer Ireland’s call.’

Meanwhile, Eddie Jones has made only one change to the team which took France’s scalp in Round 4; somewhat surprisingly, Elliot Daly comes into the starting XV with the number 13 on his back after Henry Slade was ruled out through injury.

“This is our most important game of the tournament and we want to finish well,” Jones said.

“We’re anticipating a hard, tough game against Ireland and we’ve picked this team to cope with that. We want to take it to Ireland physically and play the rugby we want to play.”

A hard, tough game it will no doubt be, with no love lost between these old foes. The forward battle will be immense, with names like Furlong, O’Mahony and Stander clashing with the likes of Sinckler, Itoje and Vunipola (X2), to name a few.

In the backs, it will be interesting to see how Daly fares in the outside centre channel while, at flyhalf, George Ford will have to be at his best to compete with the expert gamesmanship of Johnny Sexton.

With all the talent and individual match-ups on show, this could very well be the clash of the round.