Few crumbs of consolation after the Irish thought and churned



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A case of déjà vu again as, for the fourth time in a row, Ireland was completely dominated in their loss to England. Andy Farrell’s team had no response to the physicality and speed of England’s defensive line. The 18-7 touchdown line flattered Ireland, who had most of the possession and territory but could do little with the ball in hand.

While the Fall Nations Cup provides Ireland with an opportunity to bleed new players and combinations, there were few positives to see at Twickenham ground and fans will wonder how Ireland can cope with teams they cannot physically dominate. . We are still waiting for Farrell to set his own brand on the teams’ style of play and the fact that England have not changed their style significantly in the past two years raises questions as to whether this coach ticket can find a way to think or beat bigger opponents. that they.

Ireland Ratings

Cyan Healy – 5/10 A long day at the office for the lazy scrum that seemed to affect his pace of work on the field. A similar result for Healy in the Leinster versus Saracens quarterfinals with the English forwards once again reasserting their dominance.

Ronan Kelleher – 5/10 The lineout problems weren’t just due to the hooker, but he certainly won’t enjoy the video review of his ouster that led to England’s second attempt. He physically moved with and without the ball. You will benefit from the experience, but keeping jersey two is far from guaranteed.

Andrew Porter – 6/10 It’s weird to see a full 80s accessory, especially on one side that calls for cool legs. He struggled early in the scrum but struggled to gain some parity against his opponent and even won some penalties. A willing wielder time and time again, but in the face of a defense so domineering that he couldn’t assert himself as he normally would.

Quinn Roux – 5/10 Brought to the team to solidify the scrum and hold the English maul. He did everything that was asked of him like a closed head block in pushing himself and trying to match English physicality, but as expected it wasn’t as effective as it was against Wales.

James Ryan – 6/10 It is not the beginning that his captaincy of Ireland would have liked. He tried to physically make his mark, and while he was not lacking in effort, he was certainly overshadowed by English contenders in the battle for the Lions’ second-row spots.

CJ’s Stander – 6/10 Like those around him, he struggled to break the winning line and make an impact on the game. Quiet with the ball in hand and in the breakdown. He saved an attempt from England, but substituted in the 65th minute.

Peter O’Mahony – 7/10 Effective with the ball in hand in both narrow and wide channels. A thorn in the English side in both the lineout and the maul. A nuisance on the break and also crucial turnovers at both ends of the field.

Caelan Dorris – 7/10 Fantastic pace of work from the Leinster man who is quickly becoming one of the first names on the team sheet. He constantly offered himself as a transportation option and ran into white brick walls all day for the cause.

Jamison Gibson-Park – 5/10 Ireland had over 60% territory and possession, but it was a tough day for the scrum half behind a well-beaten group. It wasn’t their fault, but it wasn’t easy for fans to see all nine kick the ball so much, especially in attacking positions. Lucky not to concede a try for poor decision making on your own line.

Ross Byrne – 5/10 Another disappointing day at Twickenham for the young middle man. Whether by design or by default, he was so tucked into his pocket to combat the speed of the English line that he constantly put his side under pressure. He offered little threat with ball in hand and allowed the English bombardment to rush off without fear of repercussions.

James Lowe – 6/10 It seemed like it took him a while to adjust to the game and he was forced to use his kicking game a lot more than he normally would have to.

Bundee Aki – 6/10 A quiet day for the man from Connacht. Byrne sitting in the pocket put Aki on the back foot with an English defense that closed the gap and options. The few times he got a frontal ball he showed what he was capable of.

Chris Farrell – 6/10 He won’t be happy that he didn’t score from Ross Byrne’s grubber, but he was one of the few Irish players who offered a steady advance on the team going backwards.

Keith Earls – 8/10 Ireland’s most threatening player by a mile, but Ireland’s failure to put him into space was the result of problems up front and tactical kicks. He chased kicks all day and when he got the chance his footwork and speed saw him cause trouble for England.

Hugo Keenan – 6/10 His fielding for the high ball was solid, but he was hit mid-air on England’s first try. He covered the backfield well for England’s tactical kicks, but failed to ignite Ireland’s counterattack game.

Replacements:

Rob Herring added energy and some solidity to the lineout. Iain Henderson replaced Quinn Roux but, like many others, failed to make a significant impression on the game. Conor Murray was able to accelerate the pace of Ireland’s attack with the zipper on his pass and maintained the team’s tactic of constantly kicking the ball. Billy Burns sat much closer to the win line than Byrne and from this he was able to undermine the defense to prepare Jacob Stockdale for this 18th test attempt.

Follow Owen Harrison on twitter: @Ojectedhillprop

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