Ireland have many reservations concerning their performance, and their game’s end management, though Andy Farrell, Ireland’s head coach tried to be optimistic, about their first loss in 12 Six Nations games. He underlined the fact England’s performance truly made them worthy of their 23-22 victory in a nail-biting showdown at Twickenham.
Despite the unpleasant outcome, Coach Farrell demonstrated clear pleasure in how his Irish team recovered in their fight for a consecutive Grand Slam title. It seemed like Ireland was going to pave the way to another Grand Slam try at the Aviva Stadium on the following Saturday, having boosted their lead to 17-8 early in the second half and then consolidating a second James Lowe try to edge into the game 22-20 with only eight minutes left. However, eventually it was Marcus Smith’s game-concluding drop goal that left Ireland knocked out.
“To be brief, I honestly believe the victory went to the deserving team,” conceded Andy Farrell. “We battled incredibly despite being against the tide at times. Without a doubt, making a comeback at half-time and again in the second half, managing to gain initiative but once more, to keep it short, with the pressure England exerted and created, they deserved the win. So, well done to them.”
With Scotland shockingly losing to Italy in Rome, Ireland’s title retention of the Six Nations is still a possibility, though this slight consolation seems overshadowed by the defeat.
[ Marcus Smith’s last-second drop goal shatters Irelands Grand Slam repeat hopes ]
However, Farrell insisted: “Every game is significant, the Grand Slam included. Our desire is to clinch every possible victory and we’ve never been timid about that. Today’s was clearly another game we aimed to win, but that’s how the cookie crumbles. You just have to pick yourself up.
“We’ve been very successful in winning and moving forward. Now, we must be equally good at enduring defeat, ensuring that we applaud England tonight, perhaps share a beer with them.
“I believe their performance was tremendously good,” Farrell mentioned, revisiting his main point. “Therefore, tomorrow we have to lift our spirits and keep our smiles intact as we have yet another championship to clinch the following weekend.”
Farrell had initially aimed to keep his team in the running for the championship up until the final weekend, an ambition they achieved. He emphasised: “Our objective from the outset was to stand a chance of securing the competition in the final hours and we’ve realised that. The lads are grounded, they’ll absorb the lessons swiftly.
“There’s absolutely no issue getting the team focussed for the subsequent week. Six Nations [championships] are incredibly hard to secure. Success is often interspersed with peaks and troughs – the results today and the tournament’s trajectory thus far. That’s the charm of it all.
“For any unbiased observer, it was a thrilling match. We ended up at the losing end but returning to work next week for a crucial week for Irish rugby will not present any problems at all.”
Farrell had previously cautioned his team about the strong performance expected from England, so their good play didn’t take him by surprise. “Not in the slightest. One must appreciate the caliber of players they have. A defeat often has the effect of a wake-up call. We hope it does the same for us next week. We anticipate every opponent being in their finest form for every match.
“My impression was that England was outstanding tonight, showing physical prowess and posing a challenge at the gainline whilst also playing a commendable style of rugby.”
Although Farrell seemed to have a heated discussion with his English counterpart, Steve Borthwick, as they left the pitch for the locker rooms, he quickly dismissed it with a laugh. “Just a casual: ‘How’s it going, Steve? Long time no see.’ Everything’s fine.”
Peter O’Mahony echoed Farrell’s sentiments in appreciating England’s performance. Despite receiving a yellow card and despite a 10-8 penalty count favouring Ireland, he conceded: “Our discipline was a topic of discussion. It turned out to be a huge advantage for them.”
“They seemed adept and methodical in disrupting our breakdown, which led to us struggling to maintain steadiness in our phase play. Our offset piece tactics were somewhat successful, but entering our preferred phase play proved elusive for us.
As we anticipated, the game was laden with immense pressure. They’re indeed an exceptional team, a fact they demonstrated quite assertively tonight. Their defence was relentlessly effective, their attack was tactically focussed and they managed to hinder much of our action plan effectively.”