So it’s Ireland who will use two consecutive defeats as the float to convey them to the carnival. They will not be the only ones but for Europe’s best team over the past two seasons to enter a World Cup thus is more than a little unseemly. More so than for Europe’s second best to do so. And how much keener were England to avoid that fate than their visitors.
This is not a disaster for Ireland. Joe Schmidt may have taken some heart from the way they recovered in the second half, keeping their tryline intact (just about) and edging that period by a point, even if England’s stronger finish raises questions of Irish fitness levels. Their set piece, too, was solid, bar one lost throw, working a fine try from an attacking lineout in the second half and nicking two scrums against the head.
Selection in the back five of the scrum ought to be a little clearer now: Iain Henderson has to play, probably at Devin Toner’s expense. Peter O’Mahony, the other feeling Henderson’s breath, enjoyed an industrious match in defence, particularly during the unpleasant spectacle for Ireland fans that was the first half.
The only consolation at the end of that first 40 was that Ireland were a mere nine points adrift. Had the television match official not decided seconds before George Ford took the conversion of what we thought was Jonny May’s second try of the first half, and England’s third, that Tom Youngs’s final pass was worth a second look, Ireland would have been 14 or 16 down, a more accurate reflection of the opening period – if anything a little flattering to the visitors.
It was the 20th minute before Ireland strung any meaningful phases together. They made nothing of it. The handling was sloppy, the running lines out of sync. Some of Ireland’s most important players, particularly among the middle five of the team, surely one of the best such units in the world, were at fault. Sean O’Brien, who still looks short of his top form, spilled passes or sent them to the floor.
Tommy Bowe is another out of sorts, which he can scarcely afford to be with so many lively contenders for his position. It is hard to remember the last time we saw him impose his effortless class on proceedings. What is worse, he had to suffer indignities well beneath him here. In only the third minute, May went straight through him for England’s first try.
The back three is a live issue for Ireland’s selectors. Simon Zebo will no doubt remain Ireland’s back-up full-back, but he was out-jumped by Anthony Watson for England’s second try, after May had again caused problems down Bowe’s flank. Rob Kearney is surely safe as Ireland’s No15, with Zebo likely to move to the wing.
Otherwise, Ireland’s team look reasonably settled, bar the issue of Henderson’s integration and, of course, the more complicated question of how to achieve the same with Cian Healy. On the former, Toner it was who had that one lost lineout stolen from his grasp, a precious attacking one at that, and Joe Marler went clean through him from a standing start, in a way he probably would not have against the Ulsterman, who is the kind of force of nature Ireland were screaming out for.
That missed tackle set England on yet another rampage towards Ireland’s 22, this one stopped only when the referee, Nigel Owens, called a halt because of the prone, motionless body of Conor Murray lying in the wake of it. The scrum-half protested his health immediately but left the field following the knock to his head, and never returned.
And so one of the debates of the moment had a case in point. Most of that debate has centred round the decision of Wales and Australia to pick only two hookers, but Ireland’s decision to take two scrum-halves is as contentious, if less pressing on safety grounds. Schmidt spoke encouragingly of Murray’s perkiness afterwards, suggesting that not so long ago he would have been allowed to carry on, but it is conceivable he will not be fit for a week. If this were at the sharp end of the World Cup, that would mean Ireland choosing between saying goodbye to one of their key players or entering a World Cup match with a makeshift scrum-half. If Eoin Reddan then went down, as Murray did, in the first quarter of that next match …
So not one of Ireland’s best games but they are on a different trajectory from England, who go from here into the jaws of Pool A. Ireland have plenty of time to solve their various niggles (not least the one in Healy’s neck) before their World Cup becomes hot. Canada and Romania are next up, before the tariff is lifted a notch with Italy and then again with France.
It is a smooth, gentle climb they are on, which mitigates this ugly performance against the host nation on a different mission. No contender for anything wants to enter the arena on the back of two defeats, but Ireland have a few weeks yet until their serious business begins.
