England great who ‘rarely criticises officials’ takes aim at referee and Maro Itoje over Caelan Doris tackle which ‘needed questioning’

Caelan Doris and Maro Itoje speaking to referee Ben O'Keeffe during Ireland v England, and former hooker Brian Moore.
Former England star Brian Moore felt that Steve Borthwick’s side did not get the “rub of the green” in their defeat to Ireland in the Six Nations.
The Red Rose got on the wrong side of the referee during the second half of their encounter at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
From being in a position of strength – 10-5 up after 50 minutes – England collapsed and conceded three tries which cost them the game.
Questionable decisions
They struggled to adapt to referee Ben O’Keeffe but there were also a few calls which Moore insisted were questionable, with Caelan Doris’ tackle on Tom Curry particularly highlighted.
“Napoleon Bonaparte is claimed to have said that he preferred lucky generals to good ones, and [Steve] Borthwick’s afternoon against Ireland, after a bright start, simply drifted away leaving a residue of deja vu and the feeling that fortune does not shine on England’s head coach,” he wrote in his Telegraph column.
“Those who read this column regularly will know that I rarely criticise officials, but referee Ben O’Keeffe and his assistants did not have the best of afternoons.
“It is one thing to get things wrong as they happen – four scrum decisions, two of which denied first England, then Ireland important field positions for technical and arguable offences.
“It is another to see things that do not happen (Itoje’s ‘shove’ in the line-out) and to fail to review the shoulder-to-neck challenge by Irish captain Caelan Doris on Tom Curry that at the very least needed questioning.
“None of this could be proven to have caused England’s downfall, but when down on your luck, you need the rub of the green against sides as good as Ireland.”
Moore also felt that England’s new skipper Maro Itoje should share some of the blame for their issues with the officiating.
“Borthwick’s choice of Itoje as a new captain is another roll of the dice that has yet to play out,” he added.
“There is no doubt that Itoje is amongst England’s best performers but his rapport with the referee must be sufficient to get incidents like the shoulder-to-neck tackle at least properly reviewed and it is for Itoje to find a way to get this done. I cannot imagine Johnny Sexton letting such a matter lie.”
Borthwick under pressure
While Moore took exception to aspects of Itoje’s and O’Keeffe’s displays, there was plenty of things England could control themselves, which reflected badly on their head coach.
Their dreadful current run of form continued having accrued just two victories – both against Japan – in nine matches, leaving Borthwick under pressure.
It does not get any easier for the Red Rose either as they face another of the Six Nations title favourites, France, in the next round.
“There is no need to restate England’s recent win/loss ratio or the overall record of its head coach, Steve Borthwick,” Moore wrote.
“They are not good and, if they continue to lose, he and they will not be able to withstand the storm of public and media criticism; the stakes are progressively heightening.”