Ireland V England: The moments that mattered

The three factors that swung the game Ireland’s way against England at the Aviva Stadium.

THE GAMBLE THAT FAILED

England are 6-3 behind at the end of the first quarter when Chris Robshaw gambles on turning three points into seven. Instead of opting to go for the posts and draw level from a routine penalty, he goes for the corner. There is a time and place to go for broke, and that wasn’t it.

Ireland are run by the sharpest brains in the Six Nations but it clearly didn’t occur to Robshaw that they would outsmart England at the ensuing lineout.

Devin Toner’s arching leap picked off Dylan Hartley’s throw and England never got as close again. Ironically, with Ireland 16 points clear, they reversed the earlier thinking and went for goal instead of the corner.

THE ALTITUDE FACTOR

England are 12-3 down when Ireland win the aerial battle and with it the match. Conor Murray’s hanging kick to the right corner is perfectly weighted but it still requires an exquisite finish. Robbie Henshaw provides it but, in taking the aerial route, he has to do a whole lot more than use skills honed during his Gaelic football days with Westmeath.

He has to come down from a great height and, at the same time, prevent England’s Alex Goode dragging him in-goal.

Henshaw’s room for manoeuvre can be measured in inches, as indeed they were by the TMO. On such heroic deeds are Grand Slams won and lost. His precision under severe pressure contrasted starkly to England’s lack of it when their last hope of a try vanished with Billy Twelvetrees’ firing a forward pass to Jack Nowell.

DISCIPLINE

Ireland turned that into a no-contest, forcing England to cough up almost as penalties as they conceded in their two previous matches against Wales and Italy put together.

At times they had no option, most obviously during the early Irish onslaught when they were happy to save four points by giving away three. Other offences were unforgivable, like Anthony Watson picking up George Ford’s knock-on in an offside position.

Even Johnny Sexton must have been surprised by that because the consequent shot at goal turned out to be his one failure out of 10 since returning against France.