Six Nations: We were taught a lesson - Galwey

Mick Galwey admitted Ireland had been given a harsh lesson in rugby at Twickenham yesterday.

The Irish captain, fresh from leading his side to a 54-10 victory over Wales a fortnight ago, was forced to watch as England ran in six tries in a display that pushed Clive Woodward’s men to the top of the world rankings.

‘‘Two weeks ago we were 50 points up. This time we have conceded almost 50. It’s been a hard lesson for us,’’ said the Munster lock.

‘‘We knew winning was going to be tough and we knew the first 20 minutes would be vital but after those 20 minutes we didn’t have possession.

‘‘We were tackling them but they got their breaks and ran in a few tries. That made it difficult to compete. We were making the tackles but they just kept making space.’’

He continued: ‘‘At half-time we did regroup and in the second half we were attacking them but overall it was disappointing.’’

It would be difficult to claim the presence of inspirational hooker Keith Wood would have made a difference to the final outcome.

But it was clear the Irish looked a shadow of the side that denied England the Grand Slam in Dublin last October without the rampaging figure of their world-class hooker.

And while Galwey admitted his absence had been keenly felt, he refused to use it as an excuse.

‘‘Having Keith Wood in the side does make a difference but we can’t use it as an excuse. We have got the strength in depth and if we have to miss one or two players we have the reserves to replace them.’’

The Irish captain also refused to point the figure at fly-half David Humphreys, who was outplayed by his English counterpart Jonny Wilkinson.

‘‘You can’t blame that,’’ the 35-year-old Galwey said.

‘‘Everyone to a man would have to put their hands up and say they didn’t perform.

‘‘To win here is very hard. You have to have a little something extra and we didn’t have it.’’

Ireland will be hoping they find ‘‘that little something extra’’ when they host Scotland on March 2.

And Galwey conceded these next two weeks will be a crucial time for the squad.

‘‘It is easy to go forward when you are winning,’’ he declared.

‘‘It’s a much tougher test when you lose. The true test of this side is whether we can regroup in time for Scotland.’’