Ireland Vs. England | Guinness Six Nations | 3 Key Takeaways From Dublin
Ireland Vs. England | Guinness Six Nations | 3 Key Takeaways From Dublin
Ireland kicked off its Six Nations defense with a 27-22 win over England, showcasing defensive dominance and a new tactical shift. See the key takeaways.
Ireland began its Guinness Six Nations campaign with a hard-fought 27-22 victory over England at the Aviva Stadium.
A sluggish first half saw England dominate the breakdown, but Ireland’s defensive resilience and a strong second-half surge proved decisive.
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The influence of Jacques Nienaber’s tactical approach was evident while the fly-half debate intensified.
Meanwhile, England’s bold back row selection paid dividends, despite the defeat.
As both teams look ahead, this clash provided key insights into their evolving strategies and Six Nations ambitions.
Here are three major takeaways from a gripping encounter in Dublin:
The Nienaberfication Of Ireland Begins
Never before has a coach who is not actually involved with a team had such influence on how the team plays. However, when the bulk of said team comes from one provincial side, it is only natural that tactics from that province would seep through.
As such, with Leinster now in its second season under the tutelage of two-time World Cup-winning Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber, his ideas have firmly influenced Ireland.
In November, the results were by and large considered to be negative, despite Ireland winning three from four with a narrow loss to the All Blacks, leaving no reason to be ashamed.
Against England on Saturday, Ireland suffocated its opponent for 75 of the 80 minutes, with just two moments of brilliance from the visitors breaking the system. There also was one lapse in concentration.
Leading by 17 points with five minutes to play took a serious effort, and while Ireland will be disappointed with the end to the match, it proved that this new iteration of the Irish game plan has the potential to be highly effective.
If they can work in some of their intricate attacking shapes on a more consistent basis, they will return to the heights of their 2022-2023 form.
Irish Fly-Half Debate Rages
Some good, some bad and some indifferent would be the way to sum up young fly-half Sam Prendergast’s day.
Missing a relatively easy conversion and one touchline effort will frustrate him, as too will the stuttering nature of the Irish attack while he was on.
On a positive note, his kicking for touch once again was superb, as was his general long-kicking game.
Overall, Saturday's clash will be a solid learning exercise for a player with a big future.
Coming off the bench, Jack Crowley proved why many outside of Leinster believe he should be the starter for Ireland in 2025 and perhaps through 2027. Bringing a directness to the Irish attack, a physicality in defense and a calmness from the kicking tee, the Munster fly-half was immense.
Whether this will shift the momentum in his favor heading into Murrayfield remains to be seen. Either way, Ireland is blessed with two top-quality operators under 25 years old, with 27-year-old Ciaran Frawley a viable option, too.
England’s Back Row Experiment Works
Starting three openside flankers always was going to be a risk for England, but make no mistake, that tactic worked.
Poaching Ireland’s breakdown relentlessly throughout the first half, England stunted the Irish attack.
Offsetting their slight loss at line-out time with great pace across the ground, England pressured the Irish ball carriers with great line speed.
Unfortunately for Borthwick’s side, the power game of the Irish bench proved too much, with Dan Sheehan, Jack Conan and Jack Crowley, in particular, bringing a hard edge.
The question now is whether Borthwick doubles down and keeps with three poachers. and perhaps a fourth on the bench. instead of bringing big bruisers. Either way, this England squad proved it's a coming force (again).
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