Rob Kearney: Every time we lose, the pack will be a big talking point

"We've proved so many times that we can out-play and out-wrestle bigger packs than us."

Ben Earl of England celebrates his side winning a scrum penalty during the Six Nations match against Ireland. Picture: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Good teams lose games. Rob Kearney was crystal clear on that as he picked over the wreckage of Ireland’s back-to-back Grand Slam ambitions. That’s not to say the defeat didn’t demand, and deliver, some cold, hard analysis.

Ireland, he said, are still a better collective than their English counterparts but theirs is not a team that can expect to win games of that ilk at 70%. “In the cold light of day we just didn’t turn up to what we are capable of,” he said.