The English were deserved winners at a bouncing Twickenham.
TWICKENHAM WAS LITERALLY bouncing as Marcus Smith fired over the winning drop goal with the last play of the game.
This was a spicy affair, with head coaches Andy Farrell and Borthwick seen arguing as they headed down the tunnel at half time. The collisions on the pitch were titanic. The Irish 6/2 bench split was tested by an early injury for right wing Calvin Nash and then second-half injury to his replacement, Ciarán Frawley, meaning that scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park played the final half hour on the wing.
England had their tails up and their big carriers – Earl, Genge, and Lawrence – were making inroads, meaning Ireland needed crucial defensive plays. There was an important moment in the 31st minute as Ford missed a 40-metre shot at goal from in front of the posts after Aki was caught offside. Three minutes later, Aki pounced for a jackal turnover and Crowley squeezed his low-trajectory shot over from 45 metres out.
17-8 ahead, Ireland seemed to lapse in focus almost immediately. They kicked out of their 22 but numbered-up poorly in defence, allowing England to flood back at them. Slick handling from the English sent Furbank away down the left and though Ford missed another kick, the home side were back within four points.
14-man Ireland knocked on again on their next visit into England territory, with Henshaw spilling on an inside pass from Crowley, while Gibson-Park knocked on in a tackle just inside England’s half soon after.
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