On a disappointing evening at Twickenham, England defied the naysayers to dash Ireland’s hopes of landing back-to-back Grand Slams with a drop goal at the death.
While the bigger picture remains unchanged, Ireland’s late defeat on Saturday has definitely left a divot on the green. Barring a complete collapse, Andy Farrell’s charges will still successfully defend the Six Nations trophy. However, the gut-wrenching manner of their loss in London will leave a bitter aftertaste.
For England, who played with purpose and menace throughout, this was an unexpected high point and perhaps their most-rounded performance in half a decade. The handicappers in the pre-match markets gave Ireland an 11-point start. However, for once, the favourites tag seemed to weigh heavy.
As early as the fourth minute, Ollie Lawrence broke to score the game’s first try. It was a significant early salvo that brought the Twickenham crowd onside, much to Ireland’s dismay.
This was Ireland’s first setback of the 2024 Six Nations and their first loss in five encounters with England, showcasing their admirable strength as a team. However, this one bit extra hard. Caelan Doris described it as “gutting” in the immediate aftermath, and despite clawing their way back into contention on the old enemy’s patch, Ireland ultimately fell short in a tense match.
How Ireland’s Six Nations defeat to England unfolded
Ireland coach Andy Farrell was magnanimous in defeat when quizzed about his compatriots’ victory, saying that he thought England “deserved to win”, and it’s difficult to find fault in his post-match opinions.
When Ireland’s Jack Crowley broke the deadlock after only three minutes with a brilliant penalty goal, it felt like an all-too-familiar plotline would follow. However, Ollie Lawrence’s surprising try just a minute later called for a rewrite, while George Ford’s addition from the tee in the 17th suggested that a major plot twist was possible.
Despite struggling to gain a foothold in set-pieces or the breakdown, Ireland dug in and managed to build an advantage to take into the breakthrough Jack Crowley’s accurate kicking.
Ireland managed to chip away at the scoreline as Crowley scored his fourth penalty just before half-time, taking the lead by four points. While Bundee Aki provided the usual hard carrying and steady gainline success.
England were undisciplined in the ruck in the first half at times and were halted in their efforts by the whistle of referee Nika Amashukeli, though it was another sign that the hosts were champing at the bit.
Post-interval tactics
Ireland defended with more aggression just after the interval and were rewarded in the 44th minute when a terrific high kick from Crowley was chased down and won by Hugo Keenan. The ball changed hands quickly through Crowley, Bundee Aki, and finally, James Lowe, who dived into a tight corner to score.
Much to fan’s disappointment Crowley missed his conversion and England rallied four minutes later to land a try through George Furbank. Unfortunately, England capitalised on some broken Irish play and worked the ball into a four-on-two situation down the left, allowing Furbank to register.
England’s renewed solidity at the scrum was starting to tell, as was their use of lineouts, and some tricky tactical manoeuvres from Steve Borthwick, mainly through his use of Earl, allowed the Red Rose to take command.
Ben Earl nailed the try on the hour mark shortly after Peter O’Mahony was sin-binned for the visitors. However, when Ireland returned to a full 15, they showcased their perseverance again, hitting back with what looked like the game’s defining moment when Lowe scored his second try in the corner.
The two missed conversions from Crowley were frustrating as Ireland kicked the ball away minutes later to invite another attack. This led England to the push the line as Danny Care and Elliot Daly helped to get Marcus Smith in position on the stroke of 80 minutes. With a penalty advantage in hand, he 25-year-old kept his composure to place his drop-kick, winning the day in fittingly dramatic style for England.
More composure in the final minutes could’ve saved Ireland from the disappointment and kept them on track for the coveted double Grand Slam title.
Ireland must shake off their disappointment quickly
Ireland coach Andy Farrell said all the right things in the post-match shakedown, and although his conversations with the media were on point, Saturday’s defeat will have given him plenty of food for thought.
Speaking to RTE, Farrell said: “We’ve got to be really good at losing as well, making sure that we congratulate England tonight. I thought they played really well, so we’ve got to dust ourselves down tomorrow and make sure that we turn up with a smile on our face because we’ve got a championship to win next weekend.”
Despite the double Grand Slam title slipping from their grasp, Ireland needs a convincing victory to celebrate their strong six nations performance so far on St. Patrick’s Day, when any victory over the Triple Crown-chasing Scotland will allow the hosts to clinch the Guinness Six Nations crown for the sixth time.
This “shot at redemption”, as fullback Hugo Keenan has already labelled it, is too big a chance to let slip, and Ireland will need to quickly learn the lessons from this defeat in order to bounce back.
It’s a sentiment that Josh van der Flier agrees with. The Leinster flanker was one of Ireland’s best performers at Twickenham.
“The dream of every team every year in Six Nations is to be on for a Grand Slam, and that was obviously the overriding goal, but to win a championship is close to as good,” said the 2022 World Rugby Player of the Year.
Discover the Six Nations odds on Tonybet
