Record-breaking Ireland humble woeful England in Twickenham demolition job
Ireland crushed England’s Six Nations hopes with a stunning 42-21 bonus-point victory as they scored their most points at Twickenham
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 cut a flat-footed England repeatedly through the middle as well, 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 side in it, with the visiting back three of Robert Baloucoune, Jamie Osborne and replacement Tommy O’Brien all getting on the scoresheet.
At least it was also another 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.
What Ireland really needed, though, was for their jolly green giants to make a decent start. In that respect, the first scrum was ominous as Dan Sheehan was separated from his loosehead Jeremy Loughman and England surged forwards to win a psychologically useful penalty.
It was the most fleeting of mirages, with England’s profligacy once again striking. An early lineout malfunction ended up with James Lowe being shoved into touch just short in the left corner and George Ford, remarkably for such a measured, precise player, managed to kick not one but two penalties dead.
England did manage to manufacture some useful attacking positions but the crucial passes simply would not stick. Up at the other end it was a very different story, with Ireland’s red zone strike rate far superior. There was a prime example 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 English 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 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 weekend in a row.
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.
With the Italian referee Andrea Piardi also 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 potentially regroup. Little good it did them. Before they knew it Ireland were breaking out wide again and cutting through the home 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 both 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, Sheehan crashed over for Ireland’s fourth try.
Crowley’s conversion made it 29-7 and, despite a 53rd minute consolation try for Lawrence, Osborne’s 69th minute score rendered everything else irrelevant. 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 again glaring. For Ireland, though, a previously unlikely shot at the title now looms.