Ireland should have won, but England deserved to win.
The defending Six Nations champions came within seconds of keeping their push for back-to-back Grand Slams alive away to England, but Marcus Smith’s drop goal with the clock in the red nudged England 23-22 in front with the final kick of the game, sealing a victory that few thought would be possible.
When we say Ireland “should” have won, we say that because they were two points up with the ball in their hands and less than 90 seconds on the clock.
The reality is that England played smarter, faster, and more aggressive, and were the better side over the course of the 80 minutes.
“We keep going back to it, the better team won today, and Ireland have to accept that,” Jamie Heaslip said on RTÉ Sport’s coverage from Twickenham yesterday.
The former Ireland captain had been one of the many who gave the hosts a slim chance of derailing the Grand Slam bandwagon.
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And Heaslip says while they deserved their win over Andy Farrell’s side, the criticism they had faced in the last fortnight following their dismal defeat to Scotland was justified.
“They’ve great players. The argument is with the way they have been playing and trying to change a lot. It’s clicked for them.
“But if you’re relying on just emotional energy to get you up every time, that’s not sustainable. Consistency in your performance is what you’ve got to really strive for, and they haven’t been consistent
“They were the better team on the day and it’s a great day and they should enjoy it.” he added.
Stephen Ferris joined Heaslip and Bernard Jackman on the RTÉ panel, and says Steve Borthwick’s side spun that criticism into a positive.
“I think there’s a feeling among the English fans that the English media almost like to see the English team get beaten, and like to get on top of them,” he said.
“Especially when you’re not playing well, it’s very easy to do that.
“They answered a lot of critics with that performance, and I’m sure it’s been talked about during the week also.
“That’s rugby, that’s what happens. That’s why we all love sport, because Ireland were everyone’s favourites, every English fan was saying how good we are. Upsets happen, look what happened with Italy and Scotland.”
With the Six Nations title still up for grabs next week, the ex-Ireland and Ulster flanker says the defending champions need to produce a huge response when they welcome Scotland to the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
“We want a reaction next week now. We’re going to have to get a reaction because if we don’t perform again and Scotland turn us over, England have a chance to win the championship,” he added.
With England shutting down an Ireland pack that had been largely dominant so far in the championship, Jackman believes Andy Farrell might need to look at changes to his side next week.
FT: ENG 23-22 IRE
Marcus Smith wins it for England with the last kick of the game at Twickenham.
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“Realistically when I look at that squad, I think there has to be an argument that Ryan Baird needs to start now,” he said.
Having already impressed in the championship, Baird again excelled when he came on at Twickenham, making five tackles in 10 minutes, and contributing to the penalty that resulted in James Lowe’s second try.
“We need to get our biggest, most athletic players into the team, because when you come up against a team like England, power is massive. It’s very hard to just play fast all the time, you have to earn the right to play fast, and having big, powerful men is a key part of that.
“It shows you why it’s so hard to win a Grand Slam back to back, no one has done it in the Six Nations because you come up against a team like that who have this emotional charge, a point to prove, and some talent as well.
“The best teams in the world can lose a match, that’s the reality of it. Rarely in our sport has anyone been 100%. I think he will demand a reaction now. That Scotland game now is absolutely massive to fix the issue that were pretty evident today,” Jackman added.
