So much for all those expectations of a tight two-horse race. For the second week running England were barely in the frame, comprehensively second best to opponents who started well and kept on galloping to a five-try rout. This was a record Irish win at Twickenham and it is Andy Farrell’s side who remain in the hunt for this season’s Six Nations title while England stare down the barrel of a bottom-half finish.
To say Ireland were miles the better side is simply to state the obvious. The seeds of England’s downfall were sown in a calamitous first half which saw the visitors pull away to a 22-0 lead inside 30 minutes. As in Edinburgh they were guilty of way too many errors, with their lineout all over the shop. They also conceded 15 turnovers in the opening 40 minutes alone in addition to another yellow card, this time for Freddie Steward. It was so bad that Steve Borthwick replaced Luke Cowan-Dickie and Steward for tactical reasons even before the half-time oranges had been sliced.
Ireland were also smart enough to cut and paste elements of Scotland’s gameplan which had found plenty of joy at England’s expense out in the wider channels. That said they also repeatedly carved open a flat-footed England through the middle, to the point where the home crowd began to fall silent in shock at the defensive holes they were witnessing.
To Ireland’s credit they did not need a second invitation to tuck in. Their scrum was supposed to be a potential weakness and did indeed creak repeatedly. But Jack Crowley offered more authority and craft at 10 than Ireland have previously had in this tournament and, long before the end, there was only one winner, with the visiting back three of Robert Baloucoune, Jamie Osborne and replacement Tommy O’Brien all getting on the scoresheet.
At least it was a classic reminder of why this championship continues to delight and confound us all. It was also another grand occasion. Plenty of Irish supporters, including a fair scattering of leprechauns and cardinals, had made a proper weekend of it and the drinks were flowing in Richmond from early morning. Win or lose, there remain few better ways to illuminate the grey February gloom.
England Steward (M Smith 39), Freeman, Lawrence, Dingwall, Arundell, Ford, Mitchell (Van Poortvliet 23), Genge (Rodd 52), Cowan-Dickie (George 29), Heyes (Davison 72), Itoje (Coles 55), Chessum, T Curry (Pepper 52), Earl (Underhill 70), Pollock. Yellow cards Steward 27, Pollock 42. Tries Dingwall, Lawrence, Underhill. Cons Ford 3.
Ireland Osborne, Baloucoune, Ringrose (Frawley 54), McCloskey, Lowe (O’Brien 19), Crowley, Gibson-Park (Casey 71), Loughman (O’Toole 46), Sheehan (Kelleher 55), Furlong (Bealham 46), J McCarthy (Prendergast 62), Ryan, Beirne, Van der Flier (Timoney 49), Doris. Yellow card Osborne 53. Tries Gibson-Park, Baloucoune, O’Brien, Sheehan, Osbourne. Cons Crowley 4. Pens: Crowley 3.
Referee Andrea Piardi (It). Replacement Pierre Brousset (Fr). Attendance 81,953.
Or maybe not from the perspective of England supporters. Things even spiralled downwards to the point where George Ford, remarkably for such a measured, precise player, managed to kick not one but two penalties dead.
Ireland dominated the breakdown and the kicking contest and their red zone strike-rate was also far superior. The most glaring example came when Tom Curry was penalised for coming in at the end of a ruck, the alert Jamison Gibson-Park taking a quick tap and scampering 10 metres to the unguarded line before any dozing home defenders could react.
Suddenly it was 10-0 and England were already looking quizzically at each other. It would have been even worse had Gibson-Park been awarded a second breakaway score, subsequently ruled out because O’Brien nudged Steward in the air in the buildup. There was further eye-rolling when yet another English lineout went awry, again letting Ireland off the hook.
It was hardly against the run of play, therefore, when Ireland increased their lead. The powerful Stuart McCloskey, outstanding all day, burst straight through the tackle of Ollie Lawrence and even though he was tackled there was to be no reprieve. Gibson-Park smartly spread the ball wide to Baloucoune and the Ulster wing was over in the corner. In a further blow, the scrambling Steward was shown a yellow card to leave England with 14 men for the second game in a row.
With the Italian referee Andrea Piardi limping off – “I’m out, my body’s gone” – and being replaced by France’s Pierre Brousset, at least there was a momentary lull in which England could regroup. Little good it did them. Before they knew it Ireland were breaking out wide again and cutting through the defence like a warm knife through Kerrygold. Again it was Baloucoune, popping up on the opposite wing, who made crucial yards before sending O’Brien sprinting clear for a score which further heightened Irish glee.
Now it really was panic stations from an English perspective. Cowan-Dickie and Steward were unceremoniously hooked before half-time, replaced by Jamie George and Marcus Smith respectively. It was the clearest possible indication of the mood in the coaching box, particularly given Borthwick’s pre-game sermons about always looking to back his players to the hilt. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
The reset did yield one English try before the interval, Smith’s little delayed pass putting Fraser Dingwall over, but it was Ireland who emerged the more purposeful in the third quarter. This time it was Caelan Doris who burst clear deep into home territory and, with Ireland looking certain to score, Henry Pollock wasgiven a yellow card for a professional foul. Again it allowed Ireland to attack against a 14-man defence and, from the tap penalty, Dan Sheehan crashed over for Ireland’s fourth try.
1 Scotland P3 W2 L1 PD +11 BP 2 11pts
2 France P2 W2 L0 PD +64 BP 2 10pts
3 Ireland P3 W2 L1 PD +6 BP 1 9pts
4 England P3 W1 L2 PD +9 BP 1 5pts
5 Italy P2 W1 L1 PD -4 BP 1 5pts
6 Wales P3 W0 L3 PD -86 BP 1 1pts
Crowley’s conversion made it 29-7 and, despite a 53rd-minute consolation try for Lawrence, Osborne’s 69th-minute score and a brilliant covering tackle by McCloskey on Smith were the most telling snapshots. Of the 25 British & Irish Lions involved, precious few in white enhanced their reputations, with England’s inability to sort out problems on the hoof still glaring. For Ireland, though, a previously unlikely shot at the title now beckons.
