Five takeaways from Ireland v England

Adam Kyriacou
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Following a 32-20 win for England over Ireland in their Six Nations clash, here’s our five takeaways from the match in Dublin on Saturday.

England mean business in 2019: That was an emphatic statement from England in their Six Nations opener. In both attack and defence they had Ireland on the back foot as they claimed a resounding bonus-point victory at a venue that hasn’t been a happy hunting ground of late. Every single player on the field can feel as though they got the better of their opposite number and against the world’s number two ranked side on home soil that is some achievement. England looked more hungry, ruthless and clinical in Dublin on Saturday and thoroughly deserved the win.

Rarely do we see Ireland lose the collision: Whether it’s Leinster, Munster or Ireland it is seldom that we witness these sides struggle so much in terms of the gainline battle. England were the hands down winners in that department as to a man they fronted up. The likes of Cian Healy, CJ Stander, Tadhg Furlong and Peter O’Mahony were met head on by a white fall and their frustrations were clear for all to see. How Ireland respond in next week’s game against Scotland at Murrayfield will be an interesting watch as they look to avoid back-to-back losses.

Jonny May shouldn’t buy a drink all night: What a performance it was from the England wing at the Aviva Stadium. May was a ball of energy throughout in both attack and defence and will be delighted with his efforts. A well-taken try in the first-half and then a brilliant kick ahead for Henry Slade’s crucial second-half crossing were two highlights from a fine outing. He finished with a joint team high 11 carries.

Ireland half-backs struggle under pressure: Following their forward issues, Conor Murray and Jonathan Sexton were surprisingly erratic. So often clinical in phase play, passes went to floor while the tactical game wasn’t up to its usual high standards. England defused Ireland’s box-kicking brilliantly with wing May excellent and, of course, the ‘blockers’, which should really be penalised, doing some canny work.

Mako Vunipola wins Lions battle: A superb display from the loosehead, who was on the field for 77 minutes and made a remarkable game-high 25 tackles, only missing one. He always looks shattered after 20 minutes but ultimately has an incredible engine and also ran 11 times for 20 metres. Vunipola was solid in the set-piece too and kept British and Irish Lions prop team-mate Furlong quiet at scrum time.

by Adam Kyriacou and Colin Newboult

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