Six Nations 2013: Ruthless England Prove Their Mettle as They Overpower Ireland

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at Internationaled.org

Published: February 12, 2013

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Ireland's Grand Slam hopes came crashing to a halt in the driving Dublin rain as a powerful England side out-fought and out-thought them in a gritty encounter. It wasn't pretty and there wasn't much in the way of attacking rugby, but this win adds serious weight to the idea that this is an England team on the rise.

Last week we saw what they could do in dry conditions against lesser opposition at home. This week they proved their smarts as they mastered difficult conditions and kept a dangerous Irish side contained to secure a major scalp away from home.

For years Irish fans prayed for rain on game-day to help bring visiting teams down to their level, but when they woke on Sunday morning and looked out their windows the dark, wet day would've left them glum. The wet weather played into England's hand's with their big, powerful pack and intelligent kicking game. 

And while to say the weather was the only reason England won would be an insult to this team, it certainly helped.

Ireland made a mistake with the very first call of the game, deferring the opening kick-off to England which they kicked deep into Irish territory. This immediately put Ireland on the back-foot and soon English forwards were carrying the ball into contact in the Irish half. Instead of looking for the offload, they sought to hit the deck early avoiding knock-ons and the dreaded Irish choke tackle.

Eventually this English pressure combined with Irish indiscipline gave Owen Farrell a kick at goal before Ireland had the chance to knock him around a bit and get under his skin.

Despite the set-back, Ireland seemed the more dangerous side with ball-in-hand and sought to play themselves back into the game. But in a sign of things to come, every time they got in a decent position, handling errors and silly penalties allowed England to clear the danger. Too often they tried to be too elaborate on a day that ca...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Rugby Union

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