I'm consistently surprised at sports' capacity to create drama of such intensity it makes an episode of Eastenders seem like a dull day in the office. With characters and storylines that couldn't possibly be written, we are – every now and again – able to witness pure sporting theatre. Jonny Wilkinson's drop goal to win the World Cup, for example, after the torrent of abuse from the Aussie press. Jimmy Glass the goalkeeper's last second goal to keep Carlisle Utd in the football league was another example in the round-ball game, a completely different scenario but one of equal intensity and magnitude for those who were watching. We love a bit of drama, and that's why – at every opportunity – we try and create some.
Of course, England v Ireland games rarely need any extra
spice, but with a young England side determined to build on the promise of
their opening performances against the form side in Europe, and an Irish team
boasting the most experienced team in the Championship, this was a real clash
of youthful exuberance v experience. And
of course, there was Brian O'Driscoll, the man who would be equalling the record
for the most amount of caps held by a player, with George Gregan the only man
sharing the honour with the great centre.
Now, I have my suspicions that O'Driscoll's face is now made almost
entirely out of plastercine, but his vision and longevity have undoubtedly made
him one of the all time greats. The
Irish Press were hungry for his moment of glory. One last Grand Slam to provide the fairy tale
end to the Leinsterman's international career.
One last victory over his ancient enemy at Twickenham. The stage was set for an epic encounter.
A breathless opening
period was characterised by bristling attacking intent by both sides and 3
moments of real class. Firstly,
O'Driscoll wound back the clock and ghosted through Billy Twelvetrees in a
menacing opening attack for the men in green, and then Mike Brown took an
unbelievable diving catch from a hack on by Andrew Trimble, after O'Driscoll
had poked a delightful chip in behind the defence. Gordon Banks, eat your heart out. Brown then provided further evidence of his
promotion to the company of "World Class" full backs with a weaving
break from the side of a ruck, leaving Rory Best in his wake. The momentum should have given England a way
to the line, with the Irish defending narrowly, but three times they butchered
the obvious opportunity, with Twelvetrees, Danny Care and Owen Farrell all
opting to step inside rather than push the ball wide, where the overlaps
were. Farrell, though, at least managed
to get an offload out of the tackle which was swept up by Launchbury who, via
Twelvetrees, fed Johnny May. The
Gloucester man stepped inside Peter O'Mahony and it looked for all the money he
would claim his first try in England colours, but a desperate dive from Trimble
and Conor Murray forced the ball free with the try line beckoning. It was a chance gone begging for the hosts
and May, who would usually finish an opportunity like that off backwards in his
sleep if he was wearing a Cherry and White jersey, should
have done better.
As it were, Ireland were still level and the men in white
were left to rue inaccuracy close to the line yet again. The hosts were looking threatening though,
with May and Jack Nowell both making promising half breaks, but strong defence
from the likes of Peter O'Mahony and Devin Toner was keeping them at bay. The Irish also found themselves in the
ascendency in the scrum, where Davey Wilson – brought in for Dan Cole despite
barely being match fit – was struggling to cope with the raw power of Cian
Healy on the English tighthead's side.
Soon though, it was the visitors' turn to attack, with Jamie
Heaslip pinching the ball off Wilson to instigate an attack which found
traction when Rob Kearney burst into the line.
When the ball slowed down, Chris Robshaw and Tom Wood began to hit the
Irish runners behind the gainline, but an inch-perfect cross-field kick by
Johnny Sexton gave Trimble the chance to step inside and offload to Kearney,
only for Brown to smash his man and shut down the opportunity. Two minutes later and the England line was
under siege again, with Sexton and co executing a trademark wrap move in the
backs to give Trimble a chance for the line once again – and once again the
scramble defence was up to the job.
After Wood had made a superb try-saving tackle on Trimble, Farrell got a
boot to the ball in the ruck and then got his hands on the ball in the ensuing
ruck in a steal that Richie McCaw would have been proud of. Now it was Ireland's turn to rue missed
opportunities.
This was brilliant stuff – two relentlessly physical sides
going toe-to-toe, playing with pace, and matching each punch with a
counter-punch. England surged forward
again, with Robshaw and May making yards, but once again the wall of green
devoured the opportunity and Conor Murray was able to clear, but not before
taking a late-hit from Farrell, which saw the Saracens man penalised and lucky
not to see a yellow card. The fly half
made amends two minutes later, however, as he slammed over a superbly struck penalty
from 50 metres after Paul O'Connell was penalised for taking a man in the air
in the lineout.
Ireland hit back by driving into England territory with a
further penalty from a scrum, but Joe Launchbury was proving to be a thorn in
their side as he made a superb turnover after promising work by Dave Kearney,
and soon Farrell had another opportunity from the tee after the Irish pack were
harshly penalised by Craig Joubert for wheeling the scrum. This time though, justice was served after
Farrell's kick struck the post, keeping the score at 3-0, and the hosts were
dealt a further blow when gargantuan number 8 Billy Vunipola was forced off
with an ankle injury. Halftime came, and
the capacity crowd at Twickenham – in fine voice, for once – were able to take
stock a breather and evaluate a full-blooded half of rugby.
England, in fact were still taking a breather when they
emerged for the second half, as Nowell conceded a needless penalty to give the
Irish good field position early on. It
gave Jamie Heaslip a chance to show his quality as he and then Devin Toner
trucked the ball up, before the Lions number 8 slipped a delightful ball inside
to Kearney, who tore through to score under the posts. And just like that, the stalemate was broken.
England almost struck straight back after Twelvetrees superbly
took the restart and offloaded to May via Dylan Hartley, but the Gloucester
flyer lacked the confidence to pin his ears back and go for the corner,
electing instead to step inside, where he was turned over. There was feeling now that the tide was very
definitely with Ireland, as they began to boss territory too, and soon they had
themselves another 3 points when the rolling maul – their chief destroyer
against the Welsh – rampaged forwards and coaxed a penalty out of Courtney
Lawes, which was knocked over by Sexton.
10 minutes of the second half were gone, 10 points were on the board for
the visitors and the stadium was ringing to the sounds of "Fields of
Athenry", as the visitors found themselves out in front and looking
comfortable.
Various England sides from the last decade would have
capitulated at this point. But not this
one. This one is made of deep-ingrained
determination and self-belief, and it was a man who may have had more reason
than most to doubt themselves who set England on the front foot again. Johnny May does have a habit of running
laterally, but his ability to find space is uncanny, and once again he produced
an impressive surge in the middle which allowed England, through the likes of Luther
Burrell and Lawes, to press forward and set up camp on the Irish line. Here, yet again, the chance went begging, as
Danny Care chose to dart himself rather than pass wide to Farrell, who had a 2
man overlap outside him. It seems harsh
but, in contrast to a lot of commentators, I do place the blame for this at
Care's door. With the noise levels as
they were, vocal communication wasn't going to work, and so Care should at
least have checked his fly half before scooting off himself – Farrell was screaming
and waving for the ball – but he didn't even look.
As it were, the hosts had to settle for 3 points from a
penalty but, as it transpired, the momentum had changed. Sexton kicked the ball straight out from the
restart and, from the ensuing scrum, Robshaw drew in 2 defenders before slipping
a superb inside ball for Brown to burst onto.
The full back tore up the middle of the park and fed his scrum half
Danny Care, who scampered over from 30 metres.
Now I don't normally bring up club allegiance during internationals, but
this was a Harlequins score through and through, and it had succeeded in
turning the game on its head. Farrell
knocked over the extras, and England had a 3 point advantage.
As the game entered its final quarter, you would be forgiven
for expecting the intensity to drop. But,
if anything, it went up another notch.
Both sides hammered away but it was Ireland who were on top in the last
10 minutes, threatening with a rolling maul, only to be denied by a bit of
tenacious play by Dave Attwood. Ben
Morgan and Tom Youngs too weighed in with hits of their own, and when May
hoofed a loose ball back down into the Irish 22, the roar from the Twickenham
crowd was one of relief as well as unbridled joy.
D'Arcy was held up in midfield and the game was over, but
not before the home crowd were subjected to the sad sight of the legendary
O'Driscoll limping off the pitch. As the
final whistle went at 13-10 for England, there was to be no fairy tale ending,
no farewell Grand Slam for the most capped player of all time. But, after a game of such intensity, and
after overcoming such power and experience as there is in this Ireland side,
perhaps this young England team are embarking on a fairy tale of their own.
England Player
Ratings
Mike Brown – 9 – Stunning stuff from the Harlequins man. From his diving 'save' early on to his
searing run for the try, Brown oozed menace and intent thoughout.
Jack Nowell – 6 – Once again, a real hit-and-miss affair for
the youngster. He broke a couple of
tackles and looked lively, but at times his composure let him down and he was
caught too upright more than once.
Luther Burrell – 7 – Perhaps didn't get involved as much as
he should but when he did, his hard running and smart lines caused problems for
the Irish defence.
Billy Twelvetrees – 7 – Butchered one chance early on but
recovered to make a fully committed and hard-nosed display. Distribution still isn't on show but his
defensive organisation certainly is.
Johnny May – 7 – His finishing will rightly come under
scrutiny but his willingness to look for space and accompanying foot-work made
him a very dangerous option out wide.
Defended with surprising aggression also.
Owen Farrell – 7 – Petulance and precision in a single
game. I like his spikey character but
giving away needless penalties is a step too far – his tactical kicking and
goal-kicking was very impressive, however.
Danny Care – 8 – Another sharp performance which resulted in
a well-taken try. Service is vastly
improved these days although I think he was responsible for missing at least 2
further scoring opportunities.
Joe Marler – 7 – Was just about even in the scrum with Mike
Ross but carried with typical energy and aggression in the loose.
Dylan Hartley – 8 – Perfect once again in the lineout and a
really physical presence in the loose.
Didn't see him with the ball in hand as much as usual though.
Davey Wilson – 5 – I wish I could give points for
determination, because 70 minutes was a heck of an effort from a bloke only
just returning from injury. But
unfortunately he was mauled in the scrum and wasn't fit enough to showcase his
carrying ability as much as he would have liked.
Joe Launchbury – 9 – Phenomenal. Looks 12, plays like an Ironman. I counted 3 key turnovers, 15 tackles and one
incredible tap on an international winger that may well have saved a
score. Man of the Match.
Courtney Lawes – 8 – Started quietly but eventually came
into the game with his trademark physicality matching the Irish blow for
blow. A great defensive effort.
Tom Wood – 8 – The first time I watched the game, I thought
he was anonymous. On closer watching
though, he was superb – making try saving tackles on Andrew Trimble and doing
plenty of work in the contact area.
Chris Robshaw – 8 – Yet another strong performance from the
captain. Although he couldn't force the
turnovers, he slowed the ball down well for the Irish and his offload for the
try was out of the top drawer.
Billy Vunipola – 6 – Hadn't quite been at his bullocking
best but still a colossal presence before a nasty looking ankle injury forced him
off the pitch.
Subs Used
Tom Youngs – 6 – No time to embark on of his typical
barnstorming carries – or mess up a lineout, for that matter – but scrummaged
and tackled well.
Mako Vunipola – 6 – Usual impact on the field with some big
carries and was solid in the set piece too.
Henry Thomas – 6 – Not on for long but showed some promise
in stabilising the scrum.
Dave Attwood – 7 – Very impressive cameo from the Bath
man. Made a key turnover close to his
line and then weighed in with a couple of tidy hits as well late on.
Ben Morgan – 7 – Tended to fade in and out of the game but a
couple of rampages reminded us that we have a very handy replacement for
Vunipola.
Ireland Player
Ratings
Rob Kearney – 8 – May have lost the personal duel with Mike
Brown but he still weighed in with a great display, hitting a gorgeous line for
the try and remaining a rock under the high ball.
Andrew Trimble – 6 – Came close on a couple of occasions but
was, overall, well martialled by an aggressive English defence.
Brian O'Driscoll – 6 – A couple of moments of class,
including one great hand off on Danny Care, but no real opportunity to show off
that magic of old.
Gordon D'Arcy – 5 – A solid defensive presence, but on
occasion his vision and hands let him down and shouldn't have taken contact in
the final play of the game.
Dave Kearney – 6 – Like his brother, one of the more
dangerous players in the Irish backline, but will be livid with himself for
letting a second row catch him when breaking out late on in the game.
Johnny Sexton – 6 – Always probing in attack but everything
just seemed 5% off – his kicks were always just too far or not accurate enough. Valiant defensive display though.
Conor Murray – 7 – Worked hard throughout and service was
usually smooth, although he struggled to create the gaps he would have wanted
around the fringes.
Cian Healy – 7 – A busy showing from the loosehead, who had
the upper hand in the scrums and was a continual source of go-forward ball for
the visitors
Rory Best – 8 – I have to admit to not being the biggest fan
of the hooker but he ran a flawless lineout and made a nuisance of himself in
the loose as well.
Mike Ross – 6 – Part of a strong scrummaging effort but was
pretty quiet outside of the set piece.
Devin Toner – 7 – An impressive showing from the gangly
giant. He ruled the air in the lineout
and carried to good effect, holding his own against a relentlessly aggressive
English second row.
Paul O'Connell – 6 – A solid performance without being at
the standard we've come to expect. He
was physical at the breakdown but was unable to prevent England winning the
contact area.
Peter O'Mahony – 7 – Not as effective as last week but still
my pick of the Irish back row, constantly slowing English ball down by getting
his big mitts on the ball.
Chris Henry – 5 – A very quiet showing from the Ulster
man. He was soundly beaten at the
breakdown by the double-team of Wood and Robshaw and couldn't generate the
go-forward he does for his club.
Jamie Heaslip – 7 – Not at his galloping best and was often
caught behind the gainline, but showed his smart rugby brain with a fantastic
inside pass for Kearney's try.
Subs Used
Sean Cronin – Not enough time to have an impact
Jack McGrath – Not enough time to have an impact
Martin Moore – 6 – Followed Mike Ross' lead and maintained a
strong position in the scrum.
Iain Henderson– 6 – Caught the eye with a couple of big
carries late on
Jordi Murphy – Not enough time to have an impact
Isaac Boss – Not enough time to have an impact
Paddy Jackson – Not enough time to have an impact
Fergus McFadden – Not enough time to have an impact
What else happened in the 3rd round of the Six Nations?
Italy 20 – 21
Scotland: In one of the most
dramatic finishes in recent memory, Duncan Weir was the hero as he slammed over
a last-gasp drop goal to claim a superb win for the beleaguered Scots in
Rome. The hosts crossed twice through
Tommaso Allan and Joshua Furno, whilst Alex Dunbar scored a pair of peaches for
the visitors to keep them in the game.
England by 3....
ReplyDeleteMystric Meg eat your heart out.