This time, there would be none of the old comforts or encouragements. No “well played, lads”. No “good processes” or “great effort”. No story they could spin themselves about how this was an evolving team, coming up against far stronger opponents, and you know, ultimately it’s performances that matters at this stage. Just another Ireland defeat at Twickenham, and somehow this one seemed to sting just a little harder than most of the others. When you’re going for a second consecutive grand slam, those are just the breaks.
The days leading up to this game had weighed heavy with expectation. And this in itself is still something of a novelty for Ireland teams on English turf. As was the usual hubris from all the usual places. Jamie Heaslip asserting that Ireland would need to go down to 13 players for England to win. Plenty of talk in the Irish media – at least before Scotland’s slip-up earlier in the afternoon – about wrapping up the championship with a four-try bonus point.
