Six Nations Preview - England v Scotland

There are some things that fall into the bracket of ‘timeless classics’.  ‘The Wall’ album by Pink Floyd is one example.  An Aston Martin DB5 is another.  My 2005 Toyota Aygo is, sadly, not one.  But one sporting fixture that makes it into the privileged group, is undoubtedly England v Scotland the battle of the badly behaved brothers.  We’ve all grown up hearing and learning about the squabbles between the neighbours in times past (usually instigated by the ‘big’ brother south of the wall) but these two have also been doing battle on the rugby field since 1871.  And at Twickenham, we’re treated to another episode on Saturday afternoon.

England walk into this one on the back of a defeat against a tactically flawless Irish side, having been thoroughly out-fought and out-thought in all the crucial areas, but that loss did follow three undoubtedly positive performances away against Wales and at home against Italy.  Stuart Lancaster, his hand forced by injury, has stumbled across a group of players who have proven themselves to me more than just ‘fillers’ whilst the established names make it off the treatment table – guys like George Ford, Jonathan Joseph and Anthony Watson are established starters, and with Manu Tuilagi still to return, England finally look like a side capable of taking on any and all comers.  But they are running out of time to prove it.

The ingredients of promising displays but resounding failure may form a familiar, and bitter, concoction for most Scots (and they have stronger palates than most) but, under Vern Cotter, they should be feeling optimistic.  They have at their helm one of the premier coaches in European, if not world, rugby and – alongside the traditionally strong back row and solid pack they have a backline that can really play.  We all know about the quicksilver running of Stuart Hogg, but now they have the talents of Sean Maitland and Finn Russell to compliment him and a centre combination which finally poses more threat than a bag of bunnies.  The missing Alex Dunbar is a blow, but Matt Scott is no tame replacement.  Scotland no longer hopes, she believes.  But she doesn’t yet expect.

And don’t expect this fixture to go out of fashion before Saturday evening.

England Team News

England have made two changes to the run-on side that lost to Ireland in Dublin two weeks ago.  Mike Brown has made a recovery from the concussion he suffered against Italy and replaces Alex Goode at full-back. Goode was tested all afternoon by an aerial bombardment from the Irish half-backs and Brown can expect similar treatment on Saturday.  Courtney Lawes will play for England for the first time since November as he comes back from an ankle injury that has plagued him.   George Kruis is out of the team at the expense of Lawes, and with a place on the bench for Geoff Parling, Kruis drops out of the 23 completely.

Starting Line up:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Luther Burell, 11 Jack Nowell, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Joe Marler, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Dave Attwood, 5 Courtney Lawes, 6 James Haskell, 7 Chris Robshaw, 8 Billy Vunipola.

Subs: 16 Tom Youngs, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Geoff Parling, 20 Tom Wood, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Billy Twelvetrees

Key Player

Courtney Lawes.  The Saints second row has returned from a lengthy absence to take his place within the engine room of the English pack – and it’s a massive return for a number of reasons, despite the very commendable efforts of George Kruis in his stead.  Lawes brings the experience and brutal physicality to the side that Kruis perhaps doesn’t have in his locker at the moment, but he also brings a telepathic understanding with Dylan Hartley to lineout, which has been unusually shaky so far.  Hartley himself is under pressure after three pretty poor displays this Spring, but Lawes should certainly help see off the rather large double threat of the Gray brothers at the set piece – an area where the Scots will be sniffing blood.

Scotland Team News

Greg Laidlaw captains a side that sees the return of fly-half Finn Russell, who has seen out his suspension for taking out Dan Biggar in the air when Scotland hosted Wales earlier in the month. There are four other changes to the side that lost to Italy as David Denton, Jim Hamilton, Matt Scott and Dougie Fife are all named to run out in London.  Denton makes his first appearance in this season's Six Nations while Fife - who scored a try from the bench against France – and Scott are named in the starting team for the first time.

Starting Line up:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Dougie Fife, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Tommy Seymour, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (capt), 1 Alasdair Dickinson, 2 Euan Murray, 3 Ross Ford, 4 Jim Hamilton, 5 Jonny Gray, 6 Robert Harley, 7 Blair Cowan, 8 David Denton.

Subs: 16 Fraser Brown, 17 Ryan Grant, 18 Geoff Cross, 19 Tim Swinson, 20 Johnnie Beattie, 21 Adam Ashe, 22 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 23 Greig Tonks.

Key Player

Finn Russell.  I won’t pretend to be an expert on the diminutive fly half, having not seen a lot of him prior to the tournament, but boy has he impressed...when he’s not being sent off for pole-axing people in mid-air, that is.  He looks to have that uncoachable quality of having a test-match temperament – he plays for his country like he does for his club.  Of course, because of the step up in quality, it doesn’t always come off, but he has the ability to move on and not let it negatively affect his game.  And for a small guy, he’s a pretty tough nugget as well.  Cotter’s men will be looking to Russell to try and frustrate the English by pinning them back deep, as Sexton did so effectively two weeks ago.

Key Battle

Billy Vunipola v Dave Denton.  The return of Denton is huge for the Scots. I’m a big fan of Johnny Beattie but he hasn’t been hitting the heights – or making the yards, to put it more accurately – that we’ve come to expect.  Denton offers that power and explosive physicality – but he’s up against one of the leading ball carriers in the tournament in Billy Vunipola, a man who takes power to a whole new level.  Inevitably these battles between the two oldest rivals in rugby end up in a ‘muscle-off’, and Denton has to step up to the plate and make the same dents that Vunipola makes if his side are to have any chance of winning.

Prediction

Both sides have come into this promising a backlash but only one side is going to actually deliver.  There are fascinating battles all over the park but in the crucial ones – the scrum, Robshaw v Cowan, Vunipola v Denton and Ford v Russell – I think that England have the edge.  I have no doubt that the visitors will fight tooth and nail because they have legitimately made progress under Cotter but haven’t earned the results that they should have done, but England should be too good by the end of the 80 minutes.  Expect a tight first 40 though.  England by 12.

Premiership Review - Bath 12 - 3 Sale

Doing a spare-time rugby blog has its ups and downs. On the plus side, I occasionally get trips to big games or interviews with top players arranged that I otherwise wouldn't have a hope in getting.  On the downside, I occasionally have to write an article the night before I go on holiday when I should be packing (as I am now) and I also have to occasionally write about a game which was considerably less enjoyable than pushing needles into your eyes whilst listening to a Justin Beiber record.  Which again is the case here.  Bath v Sale should have been a brutal, enterprising and exciting encounter given the quality of players both sides had at their disposal and the fact they were both locked in a tense playoff battle, but instead - as you'll see - I gave up at half time.

That said, I did have my customary enthusiasm at the start of the match, boosted by their marvellous double-pint cups - it wasn't even dampened by that berk yelling 'come on you Bath' over the tannoy every 5 minutes (note to the club, stop it, it's classless and it doesn't even make sense).  Bath had all the ball in a physical opening, using Garvey and centre Sam Burgess as prominent ball-carriers, with the crowd being treated to some rare glimpses of Burgess' dexterity with the ball in hand.  Homer landed an opening penalty strike after 14 minutes that rewarded their territorial dominance, but also suffered an early injury blow when Henry Thomas, who was on England bench duty against Ireland in Dublin last weekend, departed with what appeared to be a shoulder problem.  It added to the home team's front-row injury worries, with Thomas fellow international props Paul James and David Wilson both currently sidelined, and meant an early appearance for Kane Palma-Newport who at least stirred the crowd from a near slumber as they revelled in his magnificent beard.

Cipriani missed a golden chance to put Sale level, but his straightforward 24th-minute penalty chance went astray when he slipped on contact with the ball, with the home crowd suitably sympathetic towards the England international in light of his mis-fortune. Sale full-back Mike Haley - who otherwise looked relatively dangerous - then dropped the restart to compound Sharks' frustration, and Homer doubled Bath's advantage after referee Wayne Barnes, who was making his 150th Premiership appearance, awarded a penalty following a scrum offence.

Cipriani then made amends for his miss by bisecting the posts from 48 metres, and despite Bath looking to turn the screw up-front as half-time approached, they were frustrated by a combination of their own errors and resilient Sale defence in a first half that was characterised by terrible, terrible tactical kicking.

A 6-3 interval advantage was scant reward for Bath's territorial dominance, but Sale remained firmly in the contest ahead of a key second 40 minutes for both clubs.  I'm not going to lie, I headed to the bar at half time and, based on the quality of the rugby on show in the first period, I didn't return to my seat - although I did watch the remainder of the game unfold on the big screen as I enjoyed a delicious (double) pint of Bath Gem, which was far more interesting in many ways. 
 

The visitors took early charge of the second period, camping inside Bath's 22, yet their hopes of an opening try were denied when centre Johnny Leota was penalised for clearly crossing in midfield.

It was a reprieve for Bath, and frustrations boiled over when home skipper Stuart Hooper and Sale lock Nathan Hines were involved in an off-the-ball skirmish before Homer gained a fifth penalty chance, and he completed his hat-trick to secure a six-point advantage.

Homer then extended Bath's lead to nine points, and there was no way back for Sale as the home side comfortably closed matters out, and Barnes blew to put the crowd out of their misery.

It was a huge win for Bath, who make sure that they remain right in the playoff mix - but for Sale, it looks increasingly like they will struggle to extend their season, or even make the Champions Cup next year.  To be honest, I didn't give any of that too much thought though - I was enjoying the highlight of my evening, in a double-pint cup.

@Ruckedover

Premiership Preview - Bath v Sale

 

The problem with the Six Nations (aside from the non-stop drinking and casual anglo-celtic racism passed about by anyone with a remote interest in the game) is that it does distract you from what on earth is happening on the domestic front.  When the Six Nations was about to kick off, Bath were cruising (along with Northampton) at the top of the Premiership pile, smoking their metaphorical cigars and dreaming already of a cosy home semi-final on the road to a jolly good day out at Twickenham.  If you haven't paid much attention since then you'd be forgiven that the current table contains a few typos – Bath now lie fifth following three consecutive defeats.

Of course, this doesn't tell the whole story.  The West Country outfit are just one point off second spot and are in the midst of a 5-horse race for the remaining three spots, with all the clubs separated by a maximum of a solitary point.  It's almost as if a mini-season, the 'run-in', for the last 3 places in the playoffs, starts now.  It's also easy to overlook the fact that Bath's run of defeats have courtesy of an away loss at the powerful Saracens, a home loss to the all-conquering Saints and an away loss at the resurgent Chiefs.  The wheels are wobbling but they haven't yet come off a Bath car that was trundling along quite nicely prior to the international window.  The fact that they have been shorn of an international spine of players – and the heartbeat of their attacking game – hasn't helped either, but Mike Ford will still be concerned at the lack of accuracy that his side have shown over the last month.  Perhaps a bit of complacency set it?  Who knows, but you can bet Ford and co will have hammered it out of them pretty emphatically. 

Speaking of hammerings, it would have been rather frightening being a fly on the wall in the Sale dressing room this week, let alone one of the players (mainly forwards) getting an earful from Steve Diamond.  The Sale coach can't have been happy with his side's meek display at Leicester last week – unlike Bath, they can't point to the mass absence of international stars, with Danny Cipriani excepted.  But for large swathes of the game their pack was bullied, which is not what you expect from a side with the likes of Dan Braid and Nathan Hines filling the ranks.  Diamond will also be hoping to see a bit more ambition from his side – but the return of a certain fly half will help that no-end.  Sale have looked powerful and creative all season and, prior to last week, they were on a good run – but they are 4 points off the main pack and could miss out on a Champions Cup place, let alone a Playoff place, unless they get back to winning ways, sharpish. 

Because the 'season within a season' starts tonight.

Bath Team News

Bath have made five changes for the visit of Sale, as Chris Cook returns at scrum-half, Ollie Devoto starts at fly-half and Henry Thomas is back at prop.  Matt Garvey comes in at blindside flanker, so Carl Fearns moves to number eight to play alongside Francois Louw.

Starting Line-up:  Homer; Rokoduguni, Burgess, Eastmond, Woodburn; Devoto, Cook; Auterac, Webber, Thomas, Hooper (capt), Day, Garvey, Louw, Fearns.

Subs: Batty, Lahiff, Palma-Newport, Fa'osiliva, Mercer, Young, Banahan, Arscott.

 

Key Player

Kyle Eastmond.  As usual, there'll be plenty of attention on his rather illustrious centre partner but Eastmond is critical to Bath's attacking game.  With Ford and Joseph still holidaying off with the England camp, the pressure to deliver that X-Factor – those game-breaking moments – will fall on Eastmond.  He's not been given the front foot-ball he needs to operate effectively over the last couple of games, but league-convert's ability to create space with speed and footwork, as well as his impressive distribution, means that he is the focal point of Bath's attacking game.  Get this man on the front foot, and there isn't a more dangerous 12 in the Premiership.  He'll also be aware that Luther Burrell is a doubt for the Scotland game, so a big display here could propel him right back into Stuart Lancaster's thoughts.

Sale Team News

Sale bring in fly-half Danny Cipriani after his release from England duty.  Flanker David Seymour replaces Josh Beaumont and Tommy Taylor comes in for Marc Jones, who took a heavy knock in the loss at Leicester last weekend.

Starting Line-up:  Haley; Arscott, Leota, Tuitupou, Cueto; Cipriani, Cusiter; Lewis-Roberts, Taylor, Cobilas, Mills, Hines, Braid (capt), Seymour, Lund.

Subs: Neild, Flynn, Harrison, Beaumont, Ioane, Cliff, Ford, Brady.

 

Key Player

Danny Cipriani.  I watched Sale play up at Leicester last week and, in all honesty, they were pants.  I've taken more inspiration from a James Milner motivational speech.  It was clear that they missed Cipriani, an unused substitute for England at the weekend, but the mercurial fly half returns this week and it is he who holds the key to unlocking the Bath defence.  He has two powerful centres outside him to put through holes and, when he plays so flat to the line, they are very hard to stop.  He can also expect, with effectively three opensides selected by Steve Diamond in the backrow, plenty of turnovers, which should provide him with the space he thrives on.  It's another chance to persuade Lancaster to trust him with a starting spot in the national side.

 

Key Battle

Francois Louw v Dan Braid.  Yes, technically one is at openside and the other at blindside, but the reality is that they are part of a backrow containing three flankers, meaning that the breakdown is going to be brutally contested this evening, and potentially a mess, too, if it's not refereed properly.  When you look at the teamsheets, Louw and Braid both stick out as the pedigree ball-pinchers for either side, both with powerful frames and that ability to get over the ball in a flash, latch on, and not let go.  These guys are two of the best imports in the Premiership and, with the speed and power both sides have out wide, turnover ball could become a key attacking weapon for both sides.

 

Prediction

Bath may be on a slump but they haven't fallen off the cliff just yet.  They need to stop thinking that they have the season sewn up because they are now in a dog fight just to get into the playoffs – something that the Sharks have known all season.  Sale will arrive at the Rec knowing that they will have to play with more intensity and ambition than they did against Leicester and the return of Cipriani will help that – but the quicker they play, the more it probably plays into Bath's hands.  With the back row selected by both teams, we should be in for a game bordering somewhere between the entertaining and the chaotic…let's hope it's the former.  I think that set piece solidarity and home advantage will be the key tonight in a hard-fought win for the West Country outfit.  Bath by 6.

Breakdown - The Five Reasons why England lost to Ireland

The dust has settled, the bruises are healing and the Guinness-induced comas have *almost* cleared up, so now we’ve got the chance to look at why one side are still chasing a Grand Slam, and why the other is not.

 

The below are all areas where England failed to deliver – but you could also read them as areas where Ireland were simply better.  Either way, here are the 5 key battlegrounds that will be causing Stuart Lancaster to consider changing his apparently one sole facial expression (I call it 'mild contemplation').

1.  Poor Kick Chase

It was easy to declare that Johnny Sexton and Connor Murray had better games from the boot than Youngs and Ford, and to an extent that was true.  However, the latter were not helped by any stretch of the imagination by a kick chase that resembled a group of (rather burly) men ambling about on a Sunday stroll.  There were plenty of times when the half-backs put the ball in an area, with enough hang-time, for England to apply real pressure, but time and again the likes of Kearney and Zebo were allowed to gather the ball under no real pressure.  Compare that to Ireland, who had their wingers and back row haring after every kick, meaning that the likes of Goode and Watson were often met with a face-full of Irish elbow when attempting to claim any high ball, and meant that (more often than not) they were beaten to it.

2.  Rubbish Ruck Clearout

Yes, I should probably consider using a more technical term than ‘rubbish’ but it does seem appropriate, and it comes down to a mixture of aggression and technique, or a lack of both in England’s case on Sunday.  When Ireland decided to keep the ball in hand – not all that often, admittedly – they blasted English players out of the way before the carriers had even hit the ground, flying in low and hard to make it impossible for any white-shirted individual to get their hands on the ball.  At times it was like the England players were simply consumed by a green wave, but they could not replicate that themselves.  As a perfect example in the first half, Chris Robshaw carried well before being brought down by Tommy O’Donnell, but Dave Attwood (instead of getting underneath the backrower and cleaning him off the ball) damply draped himself over his man like a wet towel, missing the opportunity of the clearout, gifting Ireland the penalty and killing any English momentum.

3.  Poor Decision Making

Do you know which side kicks the most in world rugby?  The All Blacks.  The all-singing, all-dancing All Blacks.  And Ireland emulated that by refusing to play any rugby inside of their own half, putting the pressure onto England and seeing who would blink first.  And England did, spectacularly, like an overly flirtatious maid batting her eyelids.  Too often, on the odd occasion when England did field a kick without too much pressure, the temptation to run it back was too great and – especially in Goode’s case – they ran into problems more often than not.  There was also the youthful exuberance, so useful in so many ways but so self-destructive in others, which heaped pressure on the side – both Ford and Watson had moments where they skinned several defenders and broke free, but instead of taking smart options and holding onto the ball, they tried impossible offloads which were inevitably knocked on – the ability to keep your head, even when you’re “on a roll” will come with experience.

 

4.  Wobbly Set Piece

Ok, the scrum wasn’t wobbly as such, but it wasn’t the dominant force we expected.  It meant that one of the advantages, one of the platforms that England expected to be able to launch from was taken away.  Now, Dan Cole had a fine game in other aspects but the fact that the Irish eight weren’t marching backwards didn’t help England’s cause – but it was the lineout which was really troublesome.  Dylan Hartley is usually a reliable architect of a successful machine when it comes to lineouts, but on Sunday it had the nasty habit of collapsing at crucial moments – think of 5 metres out from the Irish line in the first half.  Although why Hartley decided to throw long in such a pressure situation with that beanpole Devin Toner lurking towards the back, is anyone’s guess.  England banked on dominating Ireland’s set-piece and securing all of their own – sadly, that didn’t happen.

5.  Indiscipline

At times on Sunday, the Aviva Stadium resembled a South American street-festival, such was the frequency of Craig Joubert’s whistle – mainly against the men in white, and the vast majority of it entirely justified.  Now some penalties are necessary, we all know that (slowing the ball down with the Irish camped on the line in the first half was one example) but the inability of players to listen to the referee and use their noggin cost England not only points but momentum in attacking positions as well.  James Haskell strikes me as a thoroughly nice bloke but I have to question his grey matter when he consistently decides to risk sticking his hands into the ruck, or flopping onto the wrong side, when there is no immediate threat.  He wasn’t the only one, but he was one of the main offenders in a list of mostly experienced players.

 

It’s not all bad news for England of course – they made more line breaks, beat more defenders and made more offloads than their Irish counterparts.  The statistics show that they were in fact the more dangerous side with the ball in hand – but it’s knowing when to pull the trigger which is the key to giving England a seat at the top table once again.

@ruckedover

Six Nations Review - Ireland 19 - 9 England

A bit of role-reversal is always fun.  If you were told Ireland and England were playing, and one of those sides had ground out 9 consecutive wins through ruthless, smart rugby played by a side with a backbone of grizzled veterans, whilst the other was an inconsistent but exciting blend of talent and creativity just finding their feet in the Test arena, I know which peg most of you would hang the green shirts on. 

But the truth is that Joe Schmidt inherited an aging Irish side, and the rugby mastermind has used this well and truly to his advantage.  He has a side who have all experienced the agony and ecstasy of Test Rugby, a side who know how to claw their way to victory when the pressure is on...there is a reason that Irish fans are cautiously optimistic about their chances at Rugby’s showpiece later on in the year.  England, on the other hand have unearthed – through a hand forced by injury, more than anything – a side that is filled with fire-cracker excitement and one that still has the likes of Manu Tuilagi to return to fitness.  It’s a side that has plenty of promise, but not a whole lot of time to fulfil it, despite an all-action opening two rounds, which have yielded two victories.

England though, have made a habit of being slow starters in the Championship so far, and Sunday was no different.  From kick off, Simon Zebo gathered, Ireland cleared their lines, won the battle for the high ball and then won a penalty for offside.  Johnny Sexton stepped up and delivered the 3 points from distance.  Easy.  And there was no respite for the men in white from the restart, as Billy Vunipola was penalised from the kick-off and allowed Sexton to claw his side up to halfway without breaking a sweat.  From there, more smart kicking pinned the visitors back by their own line and there was a very real danger of the Irish getting out of sight before the game had even begun.  Following an Irish scrum 5 metres out, Sean O’Brien and Rory Best both went close to barging and wriggling over the line, only to be denied by good tackles from George Ford and Vunipola.  It eventually resulted in a penalty though – perhaps necessarily conceded – and Ireland were 6 – 0 up after 10 minutes.

It was indeed 10 minutes before England actually had the ball, and they immediately threatened.  Slick hands out wide and a smart chip did earn a lineout in the Irish 22 and, from there, the pack built up some decent pressure to earn a penalty advantage, Ford taking advantage with a sweetly struck drop goal to get his side on the board.

It had been predicted that the aerial battle would be critical, and the game didn’t disappoint – or did disappoint, depending on how entertaining you find the sight of blokes hoofing the ball up into the air over and again.  Ireland were certainly getting the upper hand, with a ferocious kick chase forcing Anthony Watson and Alex Goode into mistakes, whilst Tommy Bowe and even Simon Zebo were looking imperious, but it was the visitors who had the next shot at points, Ford skewing a long-range penalty attempt off to the left.  They had a chance for more shortly afterwards, as Ford went for the corner off of a kickable (but tricky) penalty – however, Dylan Hartley’s throw was woefully short and easily (and gratefully) picked off by Devin Toner.  Another chance wasted.

It would be pretty much the last chance of points England would have in the half. Robbie Henshaw was becoming more of an influence of the game, firstly turning over Vunipola and then winning another penalty as Luther Burrell failed to quickly distribute a pass, with an overlap outside him, and was collared on his 22 metre line by the Connacht man.  Another 3 points later, and it was 9 – 3 to the men in green.

England just couldn’t get the foothold they needed in the game – they were losing the kicking battle even though the majority of kicks by Ford, Youngs and Goode were reachable, but there was no intensity to the kick chase (certainly not when compared to the Irish’s, anyway) and whenever they did get go forward, the standard of the clearout was not good enough, with Dave Attwood doing an impersonation of a wet flannel in one ruck after Chris Robshaw had made good ground.

There were moments – a great pass by Ben Youngs sent Jack Nowell (in for Johnny May) free down the left, and his chip and chase forced an English lineout in the Irish 22 – but they were few and far between.  Ireland should have been further in front – Sexton missed a penalty following a crunching hit on his opposite number, Ford – but they were good value nonetheless for their 9 – 3 lead at the break.

England came out after the break knowing that this was where they had impressed in their opening two encounters – but it didn’t really go according to plan.  After Anthony Watson had made a promising dart which led to nothing, Alex Goode came to his side’s rescue after Ireland had broken through and hacked the ball ahead.  The Saracens man did brilliantly to evade three tacklers from behind his own goal-line and surge out of his own 22 – if only he had looked to his right, he had men free, but it was still a marvellous piece of play.

Watson made another fine charge moments later, but it was soon the same story of disappointing indiscipline by England as Dylan Hartley failed to role away and gifted Sexton another 3 points, and five minutes later it was to get much worse.  Surging towards the English line, the Irish pack earned a penalty advantage and Conor Murray – who had been on the money with his kicking and service all afternoon – took the opportunity to try something different with a deft chip over Alex Goode, the chasing full back beaten to the ball by a leaping Robbie Henshaw, who crashed down for the score.  It was fantastic piece of enterprise by Murray and Henshaw, and Sexton made it a 7 point play with a superb touchline conversion.

The only good point to emerge, from England’s perspective, from this 5 minute period was the fact that Johnny Sexton pulled up after his kick with a hamstring complaint and had to leave the field – and, from that point, Ireland lost a lot of their fluency.  England, conversely, began to develop something that looked like intent.  Firstly Billy Vunipola thundered off the base of the scrum and put in a grubber which just rolled dead after galloping for 30 metres, and in another set piece soon after the England pack finally caused the green machine to creak and earned Ford a shot at goal, which the Bath man took to pull the visitors back to 19 – 6.

Ireland were still causing havoc at the breakdown, however, and most of the English endeavour was in open play rather than through structured patterns, with any ball being presented to Youngs usually slow and scrappy.  Dan Cole and Jack Nowell did try to spur their team into life, however, with a couple of big charges, the former smashing headfirst through Cian Healy in a brutal charge up the field, and Ford chipped away with another penalty to make the score 19 – 9 with 10 minutes remaining.

Finally, the England of the last two rounds game into sight, with powerful carries from the Vunipola brothers and veteran Nick Easter providing a platform for the visitors to work off, but they still could not cross the Irish whitewash, with Peter O’Mahony immense in the tackle area and at the breakdown.  Easter was disallowed a try for blocking after attempting to burrow over from 2 metres whilst Nowell also had one chalked off in the last play of the game for an alleged forward pass from substitute Billy Twelvetrees (something I still, personally, cannot see).  The truth was though that, aside from that last 10 minutes, England did not deserve a try – Ireland, though, thoroughly deserved their win.

It was easy to be critical of Ireland before the weekend – they had looked underwhelming in their opening two games and devoid of attacking intent.  But Sunday reminded us of one thing – the men in green now have 10 straight victories and Joe Schmidt has given them a pragmatic, and ruthless, mechanism with which to win Test Matches; they now lead the Championship outright and remain on course for a Grand Slam.  This dark horse is emerging from the shadows of the World Cup race.

And for England?  The mountain of expectation shouldn’t come crashing down, but it should be rebuilt at a more realistic size – this is a young side, and plenty of the mistakes that ultimately cost England the chance of competing in this game can be put down to inexperience.  But for how long have we been saying that?

Ireland Player Ratings

15.  Rob Kearney – 7 – Faultless under the high ball and put in a few testers of his own.  Didn’t see a huge amount of his running threat when joining the line but he is always a focal point on the counter.

14.  Tommy Bowe – 7 – Magnificent again under the high ball, even if England didn’t apply enough pressure.  Had a good battle with Jack Nowell down his flank.

13.  Jared Payne – 6 – The jury is still out.  He was a rock in defence and kept Joseph well shackled but we didn’t see too much of his threat with the ball in hand.

12.  Robbie Henshaw – 8 – Superbly taken try and straightened the line well afternoon.  Applied excellent pressure to the English backline and made 14 tackles – although he did miss 6.

11.  Simon Zebo – 8 – He was targeted by the English kickers and his place was allegedly under pressure but he did not falter.  Superb in the air and we saw a couple of glimpses of his footwork, too.

10.  Johnny Sexton – 9 – It speaks volumes at how the Irish control markedly diminished after he left the field.  Mostly excellent goalkicking and he helped his side dominate territory whilst on the field.

9.  Connor Murray – 9 – A fantastic display by the 9, not just in terms of his kicking and game management but also his opportunism in setting up Henshaw’s try.  Man of the Match.

1.  Jack McGrath – 7 – Held his own against Cole and was a force in the loose as well, clearing out the breakdown with plenty of gusto.  Not a lot of joy with the ball in hand though – 1 metre for 11 carries, an average of 9cm per charge.

2.  Rory Best – 8 – I am not usually a fan of Best but he ran an impressive lineout and was a thorn in England’s side at the ruck, pinching a couple of turnovers as he so often does.

3.  Mike Ross – 7 – Did a superb job at preventing the expected dominance of Marler from ever occurring.  As usual, did not do a whole lot else, but his work took away a major weapon of the English.

4.  Devin Toner – 7 – Imperious at the lineout, both on his ball and when challenging the opposition’s.  Crucial steal in the first half may have helped swing the game.

5.  Paul O’Connell – 8 – Led from the front once again and was everywhere in the loose, making 12 tackles.  His hard graft in the rucks, clearing out with aggression, will have been appreciated by his colleagues.

6.  Peter O’Mahony – 8 – Another Irish big name to step up when required.  Like O’Connell, the Munster skipper was a brutally physical presence and key to the Irish winning quick ball.

7.  Sean O’Brien – 6 – A couple of promising early rumbles but George Ford actually handled him pretty well and the Tullow Tank had to leave in the first half following a bang to the head.

8.  Jordi Murphy – 7 – Perhaps not the ball carrying panache that you generally expect from an 8 but there is no doubting his industry.  11 tackles and a couple of turnovers were crucial for his side.

Replacements – 6 – Tommy O’Donnell echoed Murphy in working his socks off, Ian Henderson looked menacing but Ian Madigan did not control the game as well as Joe Schmidt would have hoped, whilst Cian Healy was ineffectual on his return.

England Player Ratings

15.  Alex Goode – 5 – There was one moment of absolute brilliance, where he wriggled out of trouble from behind his goal-line, but otherwise he was not great under the high ball and tended to take the wrong option on the counter-attack, running into trouble.

14.  Anthony Watson – 6 – Did some brilliant stuff and then followed each play up with something average.  Beat plenty of players and made a couple of gorgeous breaks, but was ropey under the high ball and gave the ball away cheaply at times.

13.  Jonathan Joseph – 6 – Did not see the ball in a lot of space, thanks to good Irish defence, but his footwork does impress and we saw some good hands and defence on show.

12.  Luther Burrell – 6 – Carried strongly and made some hard metres on several occasions.  But questions remain about his defence and his natural ball playing skills, especially when he missed an overlap in the first half.

11.  Jack Nowell – 7 – Like the rest of England’s back 3, did not look great under the high ball but he at least brought some intent and intensity to the attacking game, making 3 clean breaks in the process and looking dangerous throughout.  Great battle with Tommy Bowe.

10.  George Ford – 6 – A bit like Watson, did some great things, like jinking his way out of trouble, but would generally follow it up with a balls up – which probably comes down to inexperience. Given a lesson in game management by Sexton.

9.  Ben Youngs – 5 – Forced to deal with slow ball which any scrum half would struggle with and this completely negated his running threat.  His kicks were not overly successful either, but this was also due to a poor chase.

1.  Joe Marler – 5 – England expected dominance from him but he didn’t deliver.  He was also surprisingly quiet in the loose for someone who is usually so prominent.

2.  Dylan Hartley – 4 – Under real pressure for his spot now.  Despite crowing how he had ‘repaid Lancaster’s faith’ despite two average showings, the lineout was again wobbly at crucial times and he was outsmarted and outfought at the breakdown.

3.  Dan Cole – 7 – Again, didn’t get the scrum dominance we expected but he was magnificent in the loose.  10 tackles, 0 missed and 20 metres from 3 carries are great stats for a tighthead.  Was targeted as a turnover threat though at the breakdown and generally kept a safe distance away.

4.  Dave Attwood – 5 – Don’t get me wrong, 19 tackles made is a superb effort, but the silly penalties he gave away and the poor clear-out technique piled more pressure on his side.

5.  George Kruis – 6 – Again, a big tackling effort, and some noteworthy carries too.  However, like most of the pack he was out-muscled at the breakdown for the majority of the game.

6.  James Haskell – 4 – He was meant to be one of England’s big carriers but 1 metre from 5 carries is a real let down – as are the 3 penalties he conceded, which yet again raise concerns over his discipline.  A prime example of why England lost this game.

7.  Chris Robshaw – 6 – 100% from the skipper once again but he was not supported well enough.  15 tackles made and he always looked to get over the ball but the Irish rucking was too well disciplined.

8.  Billy Vunipola – 8 – Arguably England’s best performer.  He put in 13 tackles and made more metres than the rest of the pack put together. One of the few players to play with a real intensity.

Replacements – 7 – They mostly had a positive impact – Easter, Croft, Mako Vunipola, Tom Youngs and Wigglesworth all added urgency and made metres upon introduction.  Billy Twelvetrees, though, couldn’t hit a barn door with his distribution.

Breakdown - Why George Ford Holds the Key Against Ireland

Another apology is due here, since I had intended to get this article up about 5 days ago, but oh no, my actual full-time job (the one that actually pays me) had to dictate that I work hard for once.  The nerve.  Anyway, we're here now, and so I thought I'd show why I think that one moment against Italy showed why George Ford is going to be crucial to England's chances in Dublin later today.

For once, pretty much all the noises made in relation to the England centre partnership have been positive of late.  Quite rightly, Jonathan Joseph has been picking up plaudits from all corners of the country for two scintillating performances, and his centre partner Luther Burrell has been solid inside him - although there are murmurings that his hard-running role would be better filled by Manu Tuilagi, if the Leicester man ever makes it up from the treatment table.  But they will face a much more robust challenge on Sunday - Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne may not have quite hit the attacking heights they have done for their club, but they have been rock steady in defence.  It will take some smart and cunning with the ball in hand to get through the middle, and George Ford demonstrated how he can be the architect of creating that space a fortnight ago.

Off first phase, Ford received the ball of Twelvetrees, behind a blocking line from Burrell, to effectively put him in the situation as shown below.  Ford (white 10) is drifting across the pitch with the ball in hand, with Anthony Watson (white 15, although technically he should be 14) out wide and Joseph (white 13) lurking menacingly behind the fly half.

The red lines indicate running direction, whilst the yellow lines indicate line of sights.  You can see Masi (blue 12) and Morisi (blue 13) both drifting across, and both keeping an eye on Ford to see what he's going to do.  If Ford was to hit Watson now, Morisi simply drifts across and hits his man and, in a similar fashion, if he was to bring Joseph 'round the corner' at this point, Masi has time to drift and cream the runner as well, or Morisi can step in.  No deception, no danger.

It's the next 1 second where Ford creates the space though.  He throws a dummy out to Watson, sending Morisi stepping across, thinking that the ball will be on the Bath flyer in a flash and, crucially, focuses his line of sight on the full back.  A gap starts to appear.

Of course, if Ford was to hit Joseph now, Masi would still clatter the centre.  So Ford straightens his line, fixes Masi, and puts Joseph scorching through the gap for his second score.

In just one second, in almost one motion, Ford created space where there was none - and it's that sort of wizardry England will need this afternoon.


PS.  A rare first phase score is always a treat.  As the bloke from the A-Team says, "I love it when a plan comes together".