How did Ireland get over the line? Fitness, clinical edge and bench press
Jack Crowley of Ireland in action against Maro Itoje and Ollie Lawrence of England. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
It must have been galling for Steve Borthwick to see Aled Walters roaring encouragement at the Ireland players as his England team wilted following a near-10-minute rearguard before half-time when Marcus Smith was in the sin bin.
Walters had been Borthwick’s man last season only to be lured back to these shores as Ireland’s head of athletic performance and it was plain to see which team was the better conditioned. Part of that was self-inflicted by England, who threw the kitchen sink at their hosts in that opening 40 and used every last ounce of energy in the process to be just 10-5 ahead at the break.
It undoubtedly helped Ireland find the necessary gear change to up the tempo when they needed to in the second half.
After a frustrating Autumn Nations Series when nothing seemed to stick for Ireland and their attack failed to fire for long periods, their four tries to defeat the English and earn a try bonus point in the opening round of the 2025 Six Nations was welcome upturn from November.
And what tries they were, all four out of the top drawer as some much needed X-factor was introduced to create tries for Jamison Gibson-Park, Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne and Dan Sheehan. James Lowe was superb in providing three assists while hooker Sheehan was electric in open play in his 30 minutes off the bench on his return from a six-month injury absence.
Sheehan was not the only replacement to make an impact in the second half as the game opened up. Jack Crowley picked up where starting fly-half Sam Prendergast left off at the hour mark, Jack Conan brought fresh tempo in the back row and Thomas Clarkson was rock solid when he replaced Finlay Bealham at tighthead prop in just his third cap.
That England’s bench failed to land a blow despite sending on six forwards highlighted just how influential Ireland’s finishers were.
During a scrappy first half, Ireland wasted a plethora of try-scoring opportunities before eventually troubling the scoreboard 34 minutes in. Handling errors were a contributory factor but so were the concession of needless penalties, one of which led to what should have been the opening try from Ronan Kelleher on 16 minutes. The overall penalty count remained in single figures with Ireland giving up eight to England’s 11 but repeats could prove more costly.
With the bonus point secured and the game won, Ireland switched off and conceded two tries in the final five minutes which allowed England to rescue a losing BP and diminished the home side’s points difference by 12 points on an opening weekend when France walloped Wales 43-0. Ireland must keep their boots on opponents’ throats long after they have put the game beyond their reach.
Perhaps Simon Easterby was right and the early stages of the England game were the typical fare produced in the opening skirmishes of a high-octane Six Nations but Ireland’s faults in that opening 30 minutes, as outlined above, feed into the point that if his team are to successfully overcome the more difficult challenges ahead and lift the trophy for a third year in a row, they are going to have to find a level of excellence and sustain it across the full 80 minutes.
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