O’Connor dismisses Robinson’s try claim

JOHNNY O’CONNOR threw Andy Robinson’s claims back in his face after the England coach suggested that Josh Lewsey had scored a fair second half try for England at Lansdowne Road yesterday.

“He certainly didn’t,” insisted O’Connor, with the air of a man who would brook no debate. “I grabbed the ball off him and he didn’t get over the line at all. He was nowhere near over. The ref pulled it back. You can complain as much as you want but that’s the way it is.”

The one thing O’Connor feared almost as much as ending up on the wrong side of the result, was being taken off by coach Eddie O’Sullivan before the end.