27/02/2010
England 16 - 20 Ireland
If ever the weight of expectation was pressing down on two teams it was these too as they prepared to go head to head at Twickenham in round three of the RBS Six Nations.
Martin Johnston’s men had been under siege from the British media who one feels were quietly sharpening their blades.
Meanwhile in Ireland, Declan Kidney’s men were keen to banish their Parisian nightmare and move forward with intent against the old foe.
However this game was pretty much all about one man, John Hayes who was earning his 100th cap to join an exclusive group of truly gifted players. It seemed that everyone in Ireland with a facebook account had changed their profile pic to one of John Hayes in homage to a man who has been the cornerstone of the Irish team for over a decade.
With France coming away from the millennium stadium with the spoils on Friday night, they were undoubtedly in pole position to clinch the tournament, but quietly, behind the scenes, England were entering this battle with 2 wins from 2 and they will have their own ideas on a tournament. The talking was over, with it all to play for the scene was set... game on.
What a bizarre start when Jonny Wilkinson failed to make 10 metres from the kickoff, hacking a huge lump of turf when attempting the drop-kick, but Ireland played it and the game was finally underway.
England had the majority of possession in the opening minutes however with 3 minutes on the clock, Ireland turned over the ball in their own half, a neat pass to Heaslip who held the defence before offloading to Sexton. With work to do, Sexton ran straight and his perfectly weighted chip through was chased up by Tommy Bowe who out sprinted Lewis Moody to touch down in the right corner. Ireland went into an early 0-5 lead as the conversion drifted just right of posts.
England kept their composure and with 10 minutes on the clock they had worked their way into the Irish 22. Wilkinson took his chance with the referee playing advantage and went for the drop goal, but it missed the target. The ensuing penalty brushed off the right upright and this has been a poor start for the man who had shouldered his fair share of the media backlash preceding this game.
Three minutes later and once again England were pushing hard 5metres from the line, with a long advantage being played, Wilkinson once again went for the drop goal, but just before he took the kick the referee called advantage over. The drop goal attempt missed the target and once again England came away with no points to show for their incursion into the Irish 22.
It took 15 minutes for England to open their account, with a Wilkinson penalty but slow ball at the base of the ruck was doing little to further the English cause.
A scrum infringement on 19 minutes saw Wilkinson find touch 12 metres inside the irish half. The English pack were maintaining good continuity and working first right, then back left before Danny Care tried to unleash the English backs, however a forward pass from Wilkinson put an end to their progress. It was a good attacking phase by the home side, but crucially they lost ground as the Irish defence was impenetrable on this occasion.
On the stroke of 24 minutes, Sexton had a penalty from just inside the Irish half, the direction was good but it fell just short but it showed the man making his six nation debut in the Irish 10 shirt was not short on confidence in having a go.
By now the rain was pelting down but it didn’t dampen the Irish attacking mindset. Murphy was showing no ill effects from his lengthy injury enforced layoff which saw him play only one game for Leicester before returning to international action the following week.
An English lineout went astray and Ireland immediately launched a counter attack. Four phases later, England hooker Dylan Hartley infringed at the breakdown, handing Sexton a very kickable penalty 20 metres inside the home side’s half and mid way left of posts. The kick was perfect and Ireland extended their lead by five points to 3-8.
The English lineout was in real trouble when O’Callaghan disrupted another lineout. O’Leary cleared and Keith Earls collected, and broke up field showing his attacking prowess, his chip ahead was chased up by Heaslip, but Danny Care done enough to get his fingertips to the ball and touch it down in his own try-zone.
Ireland were slowly beginning to find their rhythm however Ireland were conceding penalties and little errors were costing them. One such penalty at the lineout when, from the resulting ruck, Paul O’Connell was deemed to have come in from the side, handing Wilkinson a penalty 9 metres inside the Irish half mid way between posts and the left touchline. And with 36 minutes gone, the home side had closed the gap to 6-8 as the clock approached halftime.It had been an interesting opening 40 minutes, and whereas England had enjoyed the lions share of possession, the visitors had managed to convert their possession into scores and at half time there was just two points between the sides and this one was far from decided.
Half time England 6-8 Ireland
The dark clouds had passed, taking the rain with them for the start of the second half as Sexton got things under way and one minute later, the St Marys man was handed a penalty out wide on the right just outside the England 22, however on this occasion the ball drifted just wide of the uprights.
Another silly penalty when a number of Irish players were ahead of the kicker, handed Wilkinson an opportunity just inside his own half. The direction was perfect but it didn’t have the distance on this occasion.
Neat interlinking play between O’Driscoll and Sexton saw the outhalf chip and turn Monye who knocked the ball into touch. Ireland made a silly error when they took the quick lineout from the wrong place, handing England an attacking scrum. Ireland turned over the scrum and immediately went on the attack, 7 metres from the English line. It was a time for calm heads, but Wallace was penalised for holding on in the ruck and once again an attacking opportunity had been lost for the boys in green.
The Irish backrow were in outstanding form dominating the breakdown ably assisted by Donncha O’Callaghan who was showing no ill effects from the knee injury which ruled him out of the French game.
A fortuitous penalty reversal on 53 minutes handed Ireland an attacking lineout five metres from the line. This time Ireland kept their composure, driving in-field from the lineout. Wallace picked and drove for the line making good yards, then with a quick recycle, O’Leary picked off Sexton who found Earls out wide on the left, the Limerick man diving over in the corner to score a fine try for Ireland. Sexton was unable to convert but Ireland had extended their lead by 6-13.
England responded and on 59 minutes they found themselves in the dominance with an attacking scrum five metres from the Irish line. Care found Wilkinson, who picked off tait running a fine inside line. Wallace held him short and as England crept forward, Dan Cole drove over the line. Donncha O’Callaghan thought he had done enough to prevent the prop from touching down, but after careful review by the video referee, the try was awarded. Wilkinson converted and the scores were tied at thirteen apiece with 19 minutes left to play.
John Hayes, the centurion was replaced by Tony Buckley on 61 minutes and as territory, possession and play ebbed and flowed between the both 22’s both sides tried to break the deadlock. O’Driscoll, while scrambling to secure ball, took a massive knee to the head by his team mate Paul O’Connell who was also trying to cover the defence. It was O’Driscoll’s last play of the game, as the Ireland skipper left the field to be replaced by Andrew Trimble.
England immediately attacked the hole left by O’Driscoll, and Andrew Trimble got his first touch of the ball dotting down in his own try-zone.
Ireland were being forced to soak up a lot of defensive pressure, and another silly infringement at the breakdown handed Wilkinson another penalty wide on the left and 35 metres from the line. The kick drifted across the face of the posts and this was a massive let-off for Ireland who were going to have to dig deep to repel the white tide which was imminent.
That tide didn’t take long to materialise and with 65 minutes on the clock, England pressed hard, first through Flutey then via Wilkinson probing the Irish defensive line. Ferris, Wallace, Earls and O’Connell were outstanding in defence, and when Buckley spotted the ball free of the ruck, he picked and the ball, and English attack was cleared.
O’Gara came on for Sexton and Cullen for O’Callaghan and with 70 minutes on the clock, England thanks to the break of Ben Foden had worked their way up-field. Here comes Jonny, and with a fine drop goal, the man who made a name for himself in 2003 World Cup final, delivered once again and England were 3 points to the good at 16-13.
A response was needed and up stepped Tommy Bowe. Clean ball off the top from an attacking lineout, 3 metres from the English 22 and Tomas O’Leary ran at the defence. Tommy Bowe had cut a fine inside line and O’Leary found his man as Bowe escaped the clutches of the English defence to touch down over the line. It was a fantastic try for the Monaghan man and O’Gara made no mistake with the conversion and Ireland had re-taken the lead to the tune of 16-20.
This one was far from over and with three minutes still on the clock, England were mauling their way towards the Irish line. Ireland were throwing everything at this in a huge defensive push, and to a man they stood firm, thwarting the English attack. As the ball went to ground, England failed to recycle and Ireland had secured ball.
From a 5m defensive scrum, Heaslip powered in field. O’Leary had to do a bit of digging to find the ball at the ruck, but he done enough and O’Gara cleared the lines. From the lineout, England once again worked in field, Ireland drove them back outside the 22, it was a frantic closing minute and despite the best efforts of the English attack, the Irish defence excelled itself, and as Heaslip hoofed the ball into touch the final whistle blew and it was another emphatic victory for the Irish in Twickenham.
Full time England 16-20 Ireland
Ireland
15 - Geordan Murphy (Leicester Tigers)
14 - Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
13 - Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster) (capt)
12 - Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
11 - Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
10 - Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
9 - Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin/Munster)
1 - Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
2 - Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
3 - John Hayes (Bruff/Munster)
4 - Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
5 - Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
6 - Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)
7 - David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster)
8 - Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)
Replacements:
16 - Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht)
17 - Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
18 - Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster)
19 - Shane Jennings (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
20 - Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
21 - Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
22 - Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
England
15 Delon Armitage (London Irish)
14 Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks)
13 Mathew Tait (Sale Sharks)
12 Riki Flutey (CA Brive)
11 Ugo Monye (Harlequins)
10 Jonny Wilkinson (RC Toulon)
9 Danny Care (Harlequins)
1 Tim Payne (London Wasps)
2 Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
3 Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
4 Simon Shaw (London Wasps)
5 Steve Borthwick (Saracens, captain)
6 James Haskell (Stade Francais)
7 Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers)
8 Nick Easter (Harlequins)
REPLACEMENTS
16 Lee Mears (Bath Rugby)
17 David Wilson (Bath Rugby)
18 Louis Deacon (Leicester Tigers)
19 Joe Worsley (London Wasps)
20 Paul Hodgson (London Irish)
21 Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers)
22 Ben Foden (Northampton Saints)
