England ended Ireland’s Six Nations Grand Slam hopes with a dominant 24-5 victory at Twickenham, maintaining their own championship ambitions in the process, after delivering their most emphatic display of the tournament so far.
Eddie Jones heralded England’s Thursday training session as a sign that they were not only getting back to the levels they reached at the Rugby World Cup, but ready to surpass them, which raised more than a smile across the Irish Sea.
But the Australian’s words were more than vindicated by a first-half display of the highest calibre, with England romping away to a 17-0 lead from which they were able to control the round-three encounter.
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First half tries from George Ford and Elliot Daly punished sloppy Irish errors and gave the hosts a comfortable half-time advantage, with Ireland delivering a dreadful opening 40-minute display that will not have impressed head coach Andy Farrell – back at the stadium where he used to grace both the pitch and coaches’ box as one of their own.
But Ireland were able to strike back with a try from centre Robbie Henshaw early in the second half, giving them the foothold that they desperately could not find in the opening stanza. Finally the contest came alive and with just 12 points between the teams, the next score would prove crucial.
Ratings: England vs Ireland
1/30 Elliot Daly – 8
2/30 Jonny May – 6
3/30 Manu Tuilagi – 7
4/30 Owen Farrell – 7
5/30 Jonathan Joseph – 7
6/30 George Ford – 7
7/30 Ben Youngs – 7
8/30 Joe Marler – 8
9/30 Jamie George – 7
10/30 Kyle Sinckler – 7
11/30 Maro Itoje – 8
12/30 George Kruis – 7
13/30 Courtney Lawes – 7
14/30 Sam Underhill – 7
15/30 Tom Curry – 7
16/30 Jordan Larmour – 5
17/30 Andrew Conway – 6
18/30 Robbie Henshaw – 7
19/30 Bundee Aki – 7
20/30 Jacob Stockdale – 5
21/30 Johnny Sexton – 4
22/30 Conor Murray – 5
23/30 Cian Healy – 5
24/30 Rob Herring – 6
25/30 Tadhg Furlong – 5
26/30 Devin Toner – 5
27/30 James Ryan – 6
28/30 Peter O’Mahony – 5
29/30 Josh van der Flier – 5
30/30 CJ Stander – 6
1/30 Elliot Daly – 8
2/30 Jonny May – 6
3/30 Manu Tuilagi – 7
4/30 Owen Farrell – 7
5/30 Jonathan Joseph – 7
6/30 George Ford – 7
7/30 Ben Youngs – 7
8/30 Joe Marler – 8
9/30 Jamie George – 7
10/30 Kyle Sinckler – 7
11/30 Maro Itoje – 8
12/30 George Kruis – 7
13/30 Courtney Lawes – 7
14/30 Sam Underhill – 7
15/30 Tom Curry – 7
16/30 Jordan Larmour – 5
17/30 Andrew Conway – 6
18/30 Robbie Henshaw – 7
19/30 Bundee Aki – 7
20/30 Jacob Stockdale – 5
21/30 Johnny Sexton – 4
22/30 Conor Murray – 5
23/30 Cian Healy – 5
24/30 Rob Herring – 6
25/30 Tadhg Furlong – 5
26/30 Devin Toner – 5
27/30 James Ryan – 6
28/30 Peter O’Mahony – 5
29/30 Josh van der Flier – 5
30/30 CJ Stander – 6
It was exactly that as it sucked the wind out the sails of the Irish comeback, with replacement Luke Cowan-Dickie the benefactor of a 13-man driving maul midway through the half to all but guarantee a home victory, and the remaining 18 minutes would essentially decide by how many.
In the end it proved to be by 12 points as replacement tighthead prop Andrew Porter grabbed a deserved consolation from close range in the final minute, with the visitors refusing to give in even though the chance of a losing bonus point had long evaporated.
And while the victory cemented England’s second consecutive win to keep their Six Nations championship hopes alive, perhaps the biggest telling point was that a third consecutive win over the Irish suggests they may just have their number in this rivalry.
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