England completely smothered Ireland for forty minutes to shatter their dreams of Grand Slam on Sunday, the third day of a Six Nations Tournament, which the XV de la Rose can still win. The English won twelve points, 24 to 12.
This year, the Grand Slam will be blue or not, France remaining the only nation vying for this honor, after its third success in as many matches in Wales Saturday (27-23). But it is far from having its hands on the trophy, France-Ireland of the last day, Saturday March 14, having all the chances to be decisive.
In the meantime, this match was full of lessons for the French, with the English having offered them a lesson worthy of a blackboard on how to dominate Ireland.
Ireland suffered
Lessons that will not be totally enough, because they will probably not benefit from the guilty procrastination of Johnny Sexton on the first try by George Ford (7-0, 8e minute) or the naivety of Jacob Stockdale, pushed unceremoniously by Eliott Daly on the second (14-0, 25e), on two balls to follow in the in-goal.
But the score of 17-0, the biggest gap for 18 years at the break between these two teams and the English territorial domination at the end of the first act (67% against 33%) show how much the XV of the Clover suffered.
Do not hesitate to use vice (Maro Itodje, on the ground, retained two players by the shirt at the start of the action of the second try and Owen Farrell clung to the leg of CJ Stander to prevent him from contesting Eddie Jones' men have highlighted the limits of an Irish team in transition.
With a group more in continuity and a coach in office for a long time, England has especially benefited from its well-established collective, especially in front.
England still vying for the title
It is therefore not surprising that a group entering the school after a five-meter touchdown, won on a battered scrum, sent the hooker replacing Luke Cowan-Dickie beyond the line to widen a decisive gap (24- 5, 63e). The men of Andy Farrell, whose first defeat at the head of Ireland, saved the honor at the start of the second act, when they finally managed to chain play times in the 22 meters opponents, by Robbie Henshaw (17-5, 50e), then on a second in additional time (24-12, 82e).
Ireland will not have too much of its match against Italy, in two weeks, to recover the ideas before its displacement at the Stade de France, so much the bankruptcy touched all the sectors.
As for the English, there is no doubt that Eddie Jones is not fooled by the ease of this success which is nothing but a sham. It will probably be necessary to show more during the reception of Wales to hope to dream again during the final trip to Rome.
