There are press conferences where coaches manage expectations, and there are press conferences where something more honest slips through. Andy Farrell\u2019s words after Ireland\u2019s commanding Six Nations victory had the texture of the latter, a man speaking not to the room, but to a journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t care whether we won or lost today,\u201d Farrell said, and if that sounds like coaching clich\u00e9, the weight behind it suggested otherwise. \u201cJust whether we grew as a group. Because we know where we want to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Growing as a group, this time, came wrapped in a performance that gave Irish supporters exactly what they\u2019d been waiting for since Paris exposed the cracks. That Farrell<\/a> chose to talk about belief before he talked about the scoreline told you everything about where this Ireland<\/a> squad has been these past few weeks.<\/p>\n Reference point<\/p>\n Paris was the word nobody avoided. Farrell had spoken during the week about hoping to see \u201ca pretty steep incline in terms of performances\u201d and Caelan Doris<\/a>, when asked where this ranks, was unequivocal.<\/p>\n \u201cThis will now be a reference point that we look back on as a proper, good performance. That\u2019s given us a lot of belief.\u201d He added something that cut through the noise of the week\u2019s controversy. \u201cAt the core of what we\u2019re doing in training and camp, there has been belief still at the core and I think you saw some of that through how we played today.\u201d<\/p>\n For Doris, captaining Ireland to this kind of performance, in this kind of atmosphere, carries its own particular weight. When asked where it ranks among his achievements, he allowed himself a rare moment of warmth.<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose we\u2019ll have a good think about that whilst we\u2019re reminiscing later on this evening. It\u2019s a special day. One hundred per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n He spoke of the respect the players showed for one another, for the jersey, and for the Irish people, a word that would echo through every answer Farrell gave.<\/p>\n The tactical question, where was it won and lost, drew Farrell into something more expansive than X\u2019s and O\u2019s. He\u2019d been here two years ago, he reminded the room, when Ireland lost to England in an atmosphere not unlike this one. That was one lesson. Paris was another.<\/p>\n Ireland player ratings v England: \u2018Superlative\u2019 half-back and \u2018Mr Defence\u2019 at the heart of \u2018performance of the ages\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n England player ratings: \u2018Dismal day\u2019 for Steve Borthwick\u2019s side as duo \u2018fall victim to the hook\u2019 in horrific defeat<\/a><\/p>\n England v Ireland: Five takeaways as Andy Farrell\u2019s \u2018radical\u2019 selections inspires Twickenham \u2018humiliation\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about doing the things that you promised each other that you were going to do,\u201d he said, \u201cand be free. Get out of your own way and just play the game that\u2019s in front of you.\u201d<\/p>\n They did. The line breaks from deep, the breakdown hunting, the ground out effort on the opposition line, Farrell catalogued it with the satisfaction of a man watching a blueprint become reality. The moment he returned to most readily was Stuart McCloskey chasing back to put his man into touch. A detail, perhaps, in the broader sweep of the match, but to Farrell it was the whole story in a single act. \u201cIt just shows the fight and the spirit that these lads have got for one another.\u201d<\/p>\n McCloskey was among several Farrell cited as emblematic of Ireland\u2019s growth, alongside Rob Baloucoune, Ciar\u00e1n Prendergast and Nick Timoney, players who arrived at this stage of the Six Nations<\/a> carrying questions and left it with something considerably more valuable, the respect of their peers. \u201cThat,\u201d Farrell said simply, \u201cis pretty solid.\u201d<\/p>\n The Jack Crowley question arrived inevitably. The number 10 jersey has carried more noise than any other this championship. Farrell handled it with characteristic care. \u201cHe was one of many who was very impressive in how they got over themselves.\u201d He spoke of heavy legs after Paris, of a group honest conversation on the Wednesday, of every man committing to attacking the game and standing true to their word, protection and praise at once, the kind of answer that closes down the narrative without quite dismissing it.<\/p>\n As for the keyboard warriors who\u2019d made the week an unpleasant one, Farrell was characteristically unbothered. \u201cI\u2019ve not been reading.\u201d A pause. \u201cThat\u2019s life, isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s not my life. It\u2019s not these lads\u2019 lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Lowe blow<\/p>\n James Lowe\u2019s injury drew the briefest answer of the evening, \u201cit is what it is,\u201d though the balance of the squad had ultimately worked out. Whether Lowe is available for the final fortnight remains one of the tournament\u2019s lingering questions.<\/p>\n On the possibility of a Championship glory, Doris offered the team\u2019s genuine position without dressing it up. \u201cWhat will be, will be. We\u2019ve got a final week. We\u2019ll review the start of the competition, see how much we\u2019ve grown. The important part is to keep doing that in the last two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n