“Six Nations: England Squeeze Past Ireland 23-22
Repeated Grand Slam victories are seldom seen, let alone the Slams themselves—a fact highlighted in a thrilling encounter at Twickenham. The widely praised and dominating team of the last two Six Nations seasons combined with a crucial off-pitch narrative, spurred a remarkable English display at Twickenham that hasn’t been seen for quite some time.
Thanks to Marcus Smith’s drop goal during overtime, England secured a hard-earned victory. Consequently, Ireland’s best ever opportunity to achieve back-to-back Slams has been extinguished for now. Looking ahead, the consolation prize of retaining their Six Nations title might prove to be small comfort in the coming days.
Steve Borthwick’s side showed vigour, aspiration, expansive style of play, and most notably, accuracy, which repeatedly rattled the Irish defence. It amplified their superiority in the physical encounters and ball carries.
One of England’s tries may have involved a touchline infringement in the build-up, but overall, Ireland couldn’t genuinely dispute the result. They were defeated three tries to two and had an uncharacteristically off-day in attack as well as defence. Josh van der Flier, Bundee Aki, and Robbie Henshaw were instrumental, but notable players like Dan Sheehan and Joe McCarthy didn’t play their usual influential roles.
Despite a variable breeze favouring England in the first half, the conditions were largely perfect for rugby at this time of year. England’s intention was clear in the opening half, leading to an early advantage that provided a momentum boost.
Ireland started on a positive note, with the outstanding Van der Flier launching a strong upfront attack supported by Tadhg Furlong’s robust carry. Jack Crowley initiated the scoring with a 35-metre penalty when Ellis Genge was caught offside.”
In the Six Nations series, England managed to catch Ireland off-guard with a powerful move initiated by James Lowe’s following a clearance kick off. England’s George Furbank executed a strong counterattack which was actively supported by Tommy Freeman. Despite a strong guard by Calvin Nash, the English winger’s powerful play was a knock on the head for him. As Ireland attempted to regain their footing, Alex Mitchell and Goerge Ford launched a successful attack that saw England dominate against Crowley, allowing Henry Slade to set up Ollie Lawrence for a clean sprint down the left flank towards the corner.
For the first time in this Six Nations tournament, Ireland trailed behind. Even though Ford’s conversion attempt was unsuccessful, his penalty kick managed to stretch England’s lead, a move that according to many was well-earned.
The game saw Nash out after failing an HIA. His spot on the wing was taken by Ciarán Frawley, who soon switched to the fullback as Hugo Keenan took the right wing. Seemingly shaken by these developments, Ireland’s defence faltered missing ten tackles in the first quarter. England marked a clear dominance in the pitch, especially notable when Ben Earl stood victorious against Caelan Doris. However, Ireland drew strength from crucial turnovers won by Van der Flier and Tadhg Beirne, and Mitchell’s close-to-the-line knock-on.
Van der Flier notably attempted to thwart a drop goal by Ford before another try by Lawrence was dismissed as replays clearly showed Furbank nudge the ball forward when contesting. Frawley’s stellar show on the field, notably catching aerial passes with precision, along with a well-executed defence by Henshaw, and Keenan saw Crowley knock off two points from England’s lead. However, England’s defence was once again put to the test as Aki and Doris joined forces to secure a penalty for offside.
In a turnaround, Crowley’s fourth penalty managed to secure a 12-8 lead for Ireland at half-time.
Following a skilled performance from Van der Flier at the breakdown, the team found a new lease of life that led to a penalty that relieved pressure. Keenan expertly reclaimed a box kick from Gibson-Park, and Crowley, upon observing Furbank’s advance, delayed his pass to allow Doris to break away. Aki, Henshaw, and Frawley teamed up for Lowe, who finished with a magnificent try at the corner.
Yet, instead of this serving as a catalyst for Ireland to take the lead, their defence quickly disintegrated with McCarthy trying to cover two players and leaving Furlong vulnerable. Martin and Itoje worked together to provide Furbank with a clear run to the corner outside Frawley who was sidelined for a failed HIA. As a result, Murray was substituted in, and Gibson-Park was moved to the right wing.
Ireland’s situation worsened when they lost a lineout that was further compounded by a line break by Earl. Despite O’Mahony making the interception, he was penalised and subsequently removed from the field. England then staged a formidable counter-offensive. Despite Gibson-Park’s initial rebuttal, Mitchell’s inroad and Chessum’s strong carry led to a close-range goal by Earl, converted by the newly introduced Smith, thrusting England to a 20-17 lead.
With Ireland at a disadvantage and the game losing momentum amid successive substitutions, the team regained full strength with the introduction of Ryan Baird, replacing O’Mahony. Andrew Porter, in his final play, secured a crucial penalty allowing Crowley to find an exceptional touch within 10 metres of the goal line. Two plays later, Henderson turned the tide, working with Crowley and Gibson-Park to help Lowe barrel past Smith to score in the same corner.
However, a missed touchline conversion attempt by Crowley was critical. But the home team and their supporters rallied once again. With just minutes remaining, Feyi-Waboso was stopped short by Aki’s tackle, entering the touchline 40 metres out from an English lineout.
Capitalising on a penalty advantage, England’s team, featuring heavy hitters Alex Dombrandt and Furbank, charged once more. Their efforts culminated in Smith having a clear view of the posts, where, despite a stumble, he successfully executed a drop goal as the game clock turned crimson.
The course of points throughout the match went as follows: a 3-minute penalty by Crowley opened proceedings at 0-3; a 5-minute mark saw Lawrence try his luck and grasp the lead at 5-3; at 17 minutes, Ford took a penalty for an 8-3 scoreline; Crowley, not one to be left behind, netted a series of penalties at the 20th, 35th and 40th minute for scorelines of 8-6, 8-9, 8-12 respectively – setting the half-time score at 8-12. Post half-time, the proceedings continued with Lowe scoring a try at the 44th minute followed by Furbank at the 48th making it 13-17. At the 60th minute mark, a team effort with Earl’s try and Smith’s conversion got England in front at 20-17. However, a try from Lowe at the 73rd minute swung the game back at 20-22.
England’s top performers included George Furbank from Northampton, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso from Exeter, Henry Slade also from Exeter, Ollie Lawrence from Bath and Tommy Freeman again from Northampton amongst others. Theo Dan from Saracens was introduced as a substitution for George, along with several others, with the complete changes being effected by the 65th minute. The line-up also included renowned talent like Marcus Smith of the Harlequins who stepped in for Ford at the 59th minute and Elliot Daly from Saracens who replaced Slade at the 65th minute mark.
In the original line-up for Ireland, we saw Hugo Keenan from Leinster, Calvin Nash of Munster, and Leinster’s Robbie Henshaw in the squad. Bundee Aki from Connacht, and James Lowe from Leinster, were also named. Jack Crowley from Munster and Jamison Gibson-Park of Leinster also made the list. Other Leinster’s players included Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, and Tadhg Furlong, with Joe McCarthy also included. Tadhg Beirne was the only player from Munster. The captain’s armband was given to Munster’s Peter O’Mahony, with Leinster’s Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris completing the line-up.
In terms of replacements, Calvin Nash was replaced by Ciarán Frawley from Leinster after just six minutes. Later, Conor Murray from Munster came in for Frawley in the 51st minute. Further substitutions saw Dan Sheehan replaced by Ronan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong swapped for Finlay Bealham from Connacht, and Joe McCarthy replaced by Ulster’s Iain Henderson. All substitutions took place in the 61st minute, except for Peter O’Mahony who was replaced by Ryan Baird from Leinster in the 69th minute, and Andrew Porter who was replaced by Cian Healy, also from Leinster, in the 71st minute.
The match was officiated by referee Nika Amashukeli from Georgia, with assistance from Italian referee Andrea Piardi and Welsh referee Craig Evans. The TMO was Ben Whitehouse, also from Wales.