THE ENGLISH MEDIA were, for the most part, hugely impressed with their side’s hard-fought win over Ireland at the Aviva Stadium yesterday.
Writing for BBC Sport, Tom Fordyce emphasised England’s efficiency but also Ireland’s shortcomings, writing:
“Ireland had 58% of possession in the match and 57% of the territory. They made three line breaks to the visitors’ none, won four line-outs on the opposition’s throw and missed only three tackles to England’s 11.
“Those numbers speak of a superiority that was seldom in evidence on the slippery pitch. England played the conditions and the occasion just as they demanded; Ireland, especially in a painful first half, displayed hot heads and hard hands.”
Elaborating on the problems that hampered Ireland, he wrote:
“Injuries cost Ireland, from the broken foot sustained early on by flying winger Simon Zebo to Jonny Sexton’s torn hamstring and the stinger suffered by Sean O’Brien.
“But so too did errors. The greasy conditions may have made handling difficult, but this was about composure as much as moisture. England held onto the same ball with much greater ease. When all around are losing their heads, no amount of support from the stands will pull you through.”
Meanwhile, writing for The Guardian, Michael Aylwin seemed perplexed as to why the Boys in Green seemed to suffer from collective stage fright.
“Ireland might not have been ill in the build-up to this one, but there was certainly something wrong with them on the day, and it was catching – or, rather, not catching. Few were unaffected. Almost all of them took a turn at spilling the ball. It went right to the top. Even Brian O’Driscoll, all 128 Ireland and Lions caps of him, took a turn. These things can happen to the best, particularly when it’s raining, but for so many of them to be affected on the same day left Ireland desperately compromised.”
In the same paper, Robert Kitson speculated on the possible ramifications for the Lions tour in the summer.
“From a Lions perspective, it was also a mixed day for Warren Gatland as he seeks to separate the prime beef from the dark horses ahead of this summer’s tour to Australia. Around 20 of these starting players may well be on the plane but one or two Irishmen did not help their cause. Cian Healy sparked a first-half scuffle after appearing to stamp on Dan Cole’s lower leg and the citing officer may also take an interest in another suspect challenge on Joe Marler. Conor Murray at scrum-half finished second-best to Ben Youngs and the quicksilver Craig Gilroy was outplayed by the less starry Mike Brown, once again rock-solid on the English left wing.”
In the Telegraph, Paul Hayward singled out the performance of England’s Owen Farrell.
“All across the park Farrell threw himself into disagreements with the air of one determined to show he was not going to be pushed around.
“As with Farrell, so with England. To score six more points and win the match when James Haskell was off the field for 10 minutes for an “infraction” (captain Chris Robshaw’s nice euphemism) was the measure of this young and improving outfit.”
He also speculated that Ireland’s main man was affected by the inevitable upheaval caused his child being born earlier in the day.“Brian O’Driscoll had become a father on the morning of the game and was probably quite frazzled. Seeing your first child enter the world is not the ideal preparation for smashing people in the ribs. O’Driscoll hurt himself in the game, too. On such days you marvel at the masochistic willingness in rugby to risk everything for a cause.”
In addition, in the Daily Mail, Martin Samuel was even more generous in his praise of Farrell.
“In Dublin yesterday, he stood over the ball, his look, almost curious, every bit as much a trademark as Jonny Wilkinson’s pout.
“Farrell took six kicks and scored four, each more pressurised than the last. It was one of those horrible days in Ireland and a match that was never going to be decided by more than a boot.”
Samuel also urged caution, despite England’s hugely impressive start to the Six Nations Championship.
“England are odds-on for the title, and even money for a Grand Slam, but with the last game to be played in Cardiff and a hurting France up next at Twickenham, it would be wise not to get too carried away.”
The Daily Mirror was critical of the Irish team’s performance, only giving two players – Keith Earls and somewhat surprisingly, Ronan O’Gara – higher than a 6 in their post-match ratings.
They added that Conor Murray was “outplayed” by Ben Youngs, and gave captain Jamie Heaslip a 5, commenting: “Not a performance he will want to relive. Too many errors.”
So a more or less unanimously critical assessment of the Irish team, while England’s doggedness was roundly praised. Do you agree with this assessment? Let us know in the comments section below.
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