In many ways, this was a strange game.
Ireland came out of the blocks like greyhounds, racking up ten unanswered points before taking their foot completely off the gas. It was almost as if they realised that a thumping victory would extend Eddie O’Sullivan’s reign so they showed what they could do if they wanted to and then showed that today they didn’t in fact want to. And after that they were never in the game.
On the other hand, having gone ten points down in the blink of an eye, England refused to panic, got themselves back in the game, took control and never looked like giving it up.
There’s no doubt that Cipriani took to the stewardship of an international XV like a duck to water. Playing a lot flatter than is Wilkinson’s wont, Cipriani buzzed and threatened. His kicking from hand had a welcome length to it compared to the much, much shorter range of Wilkinson. For sure he will have off days ahead, for now Cipriani seized the day, threatening the gain line and bringing the backs into play with some long-awaited first phase moves.
Undoubtedly, Ireland struggled with the early loss of Leamy before the quarter-hour, followed by Murphy just after the half-hour but Reddan did not offer his usual threat around the fringes and the captain O’Gara had one of his off-days. The Irish livewires Bowe, Kearney and Fitzgerald impressed with their hustling and bustling but failed to make the required breakthroughs.
Cipriani and Noon were the pick of the backs. The new boy was given a smooth ride by his forwards who delivered a solid platform missing against Scotland. Flood has a solid game without leaving much to remember. Noon was a threat in defence and attack. Sackey oozed menace with the two strings to his bow – pace and the step inside. Coming off his wing and into midfield, Vainikolo held the defence providing space to those outside him but he looked short of the extra gears required for the pace men. Balshaw threatened his usual mix of blunder and laxadasical speed.
For the first time this season, Wigglesworth offered genuine glimpses of why he is not England’s future at scrum half and must be looking nervously over his shoulder at the rapid rehabilitation of Harry Ellis and the continued apprenticeship of Danny Care.
In the forwards, Andrew Sheridan was quietly solid. Vickery was his usual plodding general self – his dynamic days now a distant memory. Apart from a few bursts around the field, Lee Mears failed to convince. The nagging doubt is that he is just too small for an international hooker these days and his scrummaging and throwing-in lack a little something. Shaw and Borthwick were solid but the latter needs to learn more from his second-row colleague in putting himself around the park in the loose. In the backrow, Easter continued to look like the strong workhorse required, able to gain the hard yards and to stay on his feet and hold the ball up when outnumbered. Tom Croft continued to catch the eye in the lineout but was less obviously effective as a number six at the breakdown (if the effectiveness of a number six can ever be described as obvious). At openside, Lipman was prominent in the loose, without being convincing as the link man between forwards and backs, or the ball-winning scavenger at the breakdown.
The fear that a victory in this game would just paper over the obvious cracks in Ashton’s coaching team, Rob Andrew’s role and the establishment at the RFU is realised. According to the BBC:
Brian Ashton says he has 'no idea' whether he will remain as England head coach despite leading them to their best Six Nations finish snce 2003.
</codeEngland's final position in the table is both misleading and irrelevant. England clawed their way to second by dint of a highly unconvincing win over Italy, an effective forward performance with limited ambition against France, with only final flurry against Ireland showing any sort of hope for the style of future games. Andrew is not planning any changes before the tour to New Zealand but what is the point of sending a dead man walking down under other than protecting the new man from a baptisim of fire. If Shaun Edwards is committed to Wales until 2010 then there really is no point in getting rid of Ashton for another two seasons. There is little evidence that the other commanders-in-waiting of Ryan and Richards would be able to flourish under Andrew's strange generalship. If Edwards is unavailable then why not continue with the stagnant status quo albeit providing a manager to relieve Ashton of the duties he struggles with and enabling him to concentrate on the stuff that matters?
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