Red Rose Ratings: England 21-10 Ireland.
Following victories over Scotland and Italy in the 6 Nations, many saw this fixture as Eddie Jones' first major challenge. The host's victory was made even more important, not just because it maintains their 100% start to the tournament but also because it was their first return to Twickenham since the devastating defeat to the Wallabies at the World Cup.
Here are my players ratings for the England team following their 21-10 victory over the Irish:
Starting 15:
15: Mike Brown - 6 - For the third game in a row Brown was a reliable and consistent performer in both his kicking and defending. Scored England's second try which effectively killed Ireland off but still appears to be missing a cutting edge when carrying.
14: Anthony Watson - 7 - A generous seven on this occasion for Watson. Scored England's first try but would've had to have done something remarkable not to. Made Farrell's job harder by not running around the back of the dead ball area towards the posts though. Encouraging to see some of his famed footwork slowly creeping back into his game.
13: Jonathan Joseph - 6 - Had his share of the tries last week and endured a far quieter game here. Struggled to make anything remarkable happen with ball in hand but did a decent job in defence.
12: Owen Farrell - 6 - Missed an early kick which will disappoint him and one which looked to be more important than it was with the scores then close. Also gave away a few early penalties which halted English attacks in promising positions. Was able to eventually get over these blips and put in a solid and consistent performance for the last hour.
11: Jack Nowell - 7 - Another impressive performance for Nowell on both sides of the ball. Involved in Watson's try and was available to Brown should he have needed him when the fullback crossed for England's second. Helped prevent an Irish fightback by making a big try saving tackle on Henshaw.
10: George Ford - 6 - Cannot be called a bad performance because he did little wrong but the Bath fly-half will feel there is more he can offer especially when going forward.
9: Ben Youngs - 8 - Played with a high tempo and was always looking to get England moving forward. An impressive display with some dangerous sniping runs. I wouldn't be surprised to see him start against Wales.
1: Joe Marler - 6 - The loosehead shirt for England continues to be battled for. Marler's discipline let him down on a few occasions in what was an otherwise solid performance.
2: Dylan Hartley - 8 - In my opinion hugely unfortunate not to be awarded a first half try but didn't let this get him down as he worked hard in the loose and threw precisely for a well drilled English lineout. Also worth noting the professionalism he showed in ushering Haskell off the field following the flanker's yellow.
3: Dan Cole - 7 - Another full 80 minutes for the prop and showed little signs of fatigue. A solid set-piece performance and always troubling the Irish at the breakdown. Has he finally solved his discipline problem? We'll see!
4: Maro Itoje - 8 - Eddie Jones' temporary delaying of Maro's full debut proved to be a masterclass. Itoje was highly impressive, showing his capabilities all over the Twickenham turf. Definitely a player England need to utilise more over the forthcoming months and years.
5: George Kruis - 7 - An imposing figure in the lineout and caused plenty of problems for the Irish. A solid performance, doing little wrong, and menacing at the breakdown. Was overshadowed by his fellow lock on this outing though.
6: Chris Robshaw - 7 - The imposing figure he always is. Worked hard around the breakdown and tackled well. Also helped set up the Watson try with a tidy long pass out wide which was perfectly weighted.
7: James Haskell - 7 - A monstrous performance from the Wasps flanker. Immense in defence with some big hits and quick linespeed, the flanker never shyed away from his duties. However his score must be held back for a silly yellow card from a high tackle, other than that a very good outing. Can think himself lucky the Irish did punish both him and his team for his ill-discipline.
8: Billy Vunipola - 9 - Yet again a monstrous performance. His ball carrying at times makes it look like men against boys, and Ireland were often forced to commit number to just bring him down. Made a massive impact on the game, just ask Andrew Trimble. Shaping up to be the man of the series at this rate.
Subs:
Jamie George - 6
Mako Vunipola - 6
Courtney Lawes - 6
Jack Clifford - 6
Danny Care - 6
Elliot Daly - 6
Henry Justice
Here are my players ratings for the England team following their 21-10 victory over the Irish:
Starting 15:
15: Mike Brown - 6 - For the third game in a row Brown was a reliable and consistent performer in both his kicking and defending. Scored England's second try which effectively killed Ireland off but still appears to be missing a cutting edge when carrying.
14: Anthony Watson - 7 - A generous seven on this occasion for Watson. Scored England's first try but would've had to have done something remarkable not to. Made Farrell's job harder by not running around the back of the dead ball area towards the posts though. Encouraging to see some of his famed footwork slowly creeping back into his game.
13: Jonathan Joseph - 6 - Had his share of the tries last week and endured a far quieter game here. Struggled to make anything remarkable happen with ball in hand but did a decent job in defence.
12: Owen Farrell - 6 - Missed an early kick which will disappoint him and one which looked to be more important than it was with the scores then close. Also gave away a few early penalties which halted English attacks in promising positions. Was able to eventually get over these blips and put in a solid and consistent performance for the last hour.
11: Jack Nowell - 7 - Another impressive performance for Nowell on both sides of the ball. Involved in Watson's try and was available to Brown should he have needed him when the fullback crossed for England's second. Helped prevent an Irish fightback by making a big try saving tackle on Henshaw.
10: George Ford - 6 - Cannot be called a bad performance because he did little wrong but the Bath fly-half will feel there is more he can offer especially when going forward.
9: Ben Youngs - 8 - Played with a high tempo and was always looking to get England moving forward. An impressive display with some dangerous sniping runs. I wouldn't be surprised to see him start against Wales.
1: Joe Marler - 6 - The loosehead shirt for England continues to be battled for. Marler's discipline let him down on a few occasions in what was an otherwise solid performance.
2: Dylan Hartley - 8 - In my opinion hugely unfortunate not to be awarded a first half try but didn't let this get him down as he worked hard in the loose and threw precisely for a well drilled English lineout. Also worth noting the professionalism he showed in ushering Haskell off the field following the flanker's yellow.
3: Dan Cole - 7 - Another full 80 minutes for the prop and showed little signs of fatigue. A solid set-piece performance and always troubling the Irish at the breakdown. Has he finally solved his discipline problem? We'll see!
4: Maro Itoje - 8 - Eddie Jones' temporary delaying of Maro's full debut proved to be a masterclass. Itoje was highly impressive, showing his capabilities all over the Twickenham turf. Definitely a player England need to utilise more over the forthcoming months and years.
5: George Kruis - 7 - An imposing figure in the lineout and caused plenty of problems for the Irish. A solid performance, doing little wrong, and menacing at the breakdown. Was overshadowed by his fellow lock on this outing though.
6: Chris Robshaw - 7 - The imposing figure he always is. Worked hard around the breakdown and tackled well. Also helped set up the Watson try with a tidy long pass out wide which was perfectly weighted.
7: James Haskell - 7 - A monstrous performance from the Wasps flanker. Immense in defence with some big hits and quick linespeed, the flanker never shyed away from his duties. However his score must be held back for a silly yellow card from a high tackle, other than that a very good outing. Can think himself lucky the Irish did punish both him and his team for his ill-discipline.
8: Billy Vunipola - 9 - Yet again a monstrous performance. His ball carrying at times makes it look like men against boys, and Ireland were often forced to commit number to just bring him down. Made a massive impact on the game, just ask Andrew Trimble. Shaping up to be the man of the series at this rate.
Subs:
Jamie George - 6
Mako Vunipola - 6
Courtney Lawes - 6
Jack Clifford - 6
Danny Care - 6
Elliot Daly - 6
Henry Justice
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