ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

England power past Ireland at Twickenham

BY Grant Constable  ·  Monday Mar 19, 2012

England finished second in the Six Nations championship following a powerful performance against Ireland at Twickenham. The English forwards dominated up front, resulting in a 30-9 victory against the Irish, on St Patrick’s Day.

The home side were awarded a penalty try by referee Nigel Owens after the Irish pack disintegrated under the persistant pressure. A similar situation occured later in the game, resulting in just a penalty, but a quick tap from Ben Youngs. Owen Farrell kept up his good form by kicking six penalties and a conversion.

Ireland coach Declan Kidney blamed the loss on their scrum weaknesses. “I wasn’t surprised by what happened at the scrum because Mike Ross got a crick on his neck at the first scrum and managed to play for half an hour after that,” he said.

“Tom Court came on and went valiantly, but our balance was off. That was always on the cards because we have guys who don’t have huge tighthead experience playing for Ireland at the moment. It’s something we’ll have to work on and bring more Irish guys through.”

Interim England coach Stuart Lancaster, who took over from Martin Johnson following the Rugby World Cup, looks to have secured his position as being in charge fulltime. His assistant, Graham Rowntree, has backed him fully, as have many of the players.

“We’re reborn as a new team under Stuart. It’s hard to think about the World Cup because it’s such a long time ago. We’re still not the finished article and there’s loads more to come. I’ve never worked with such an energetic group of young players who just want to do well,” he said.

It’s since been reported that Nick Mallett is still the frontrunner for the job though, with his international experience and credentials outweighing that of Lancaster’s. The RFU have said they won’t be swayed by public sentiment, and will reportedly interview both candidates this week.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles

  • 77 WEEKS AGO

    Breaking down the greatest year of international...

  • 258 WEEKS AGO

    scottish prop saves fire victim

  • 262 WEEKS AGO

    New Rugby X tournament insane



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    WATCH: Outlandish Jacob Stockdale finish is truly world class

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Ulster denied THE GREATEST URC try you will ever see!

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Capuozzo break sets Dupont up for hatrick on return

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Fans praise 'Dom Perignon Rugby' as Irish players prepare for final match of South African tour

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Harlequins winger heralded as the next big England breakthrough after weekend's performance

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    'Cheap shot' from Leicester Tigers vs Northampton Saints causing a stir online

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Wild moment leads to all in brawl during Welsh derby between Cardiff and Scarlets

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    South African school boy makes the greatest tackle ever

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Huge guillotine tackle divides fans in viral footage

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Fans call for Stuart Hogg to face punishment after altercation involving ball boy

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Insane moment as french backrow waves off medic and smokes Ange Capuozzo

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible drop goal helps break 25-match losing streak

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Leinster fly half delivers insane 50:22 after being given start for Emerging Ireland

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    French scrumhalf drills perfect shot at goal under outrageous circumstances

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Siya Kolisi makes young fans' day as he arrives at Cape Town school

View All

Funnies

  • 12 HOURS AGO

    Mischievous Marcus Smith spotted engaging in the dark arts during All Blacks match

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Jonny Sexton: 'Fondest memory of the Heineken Cup in 2011?' - 'Gordon D'Arcy's bar' and 'Coppers'

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Watch: Mike Haley's post match interaction with RG Snyman leaves no doubt about where Munster players stand

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    The rugby guy and Mack Hansen drop an all time BANGER with latest video

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    ‘Pitch is made of concrete’ - Fan provides much needed update following half time incident

View All

Amateur

  • 95 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 95 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 118 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

  • 118 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 118 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Louis Rees-Zammit opens up about his biggest shock in chasing NFL dream

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    'It's been an honour' - Wales legend retires from international rugby

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Jonny Sexton: 'Fondest memory of the Heineken Cup in 2011?' - 'Gordon D'Arcy's bar' and 'Coppers'

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    'It's been horrible' - Wales captain to miss Autumn Nations

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    'It was an easy decision for me' - Saints star commits to future

View All