When Nigel Owens blew the final whistle the scoreboard was illuminated with the words England 21 Ireland 13. With just 13 days to go before the Rugby World Cup England had delivered the victory required and done so with a performance that stamped their authority on Twickenham Stadium. The home side’s message to Ireland and indeed the rest of the rugby world was clear; this our home, our patch and we are ready for this tournament.
As Twickenham Stadium filled to capacity, a little over eighty minutes earlier, you could feel the apprehension in the air. Of course there was excitement however the overarching emotions were caution and concern given England's performance in Paris. It is fair to say that no-one donning the red rose of England dared to contemplate the thought of another such loss, it would have been disastrous.
The tone for the Test match was set by Chris Robshaw; off the opening kick off he charged down Simon Zebo and in no uncertain terms ‘sat him down’. Chris continued to do this off every single kick off for the entire fixture and alongside his 21 tackles England’s Captain led by example, as the true greats do. That opening hit and Jonny May’s electric try within five minutes said, in no uncertain terms; we are back and we are going to show you all what this England side can do.
The major facets that were poor in France were corrected and made a discernible difference to England’s output. England were reformed when it came to their discipline, in eighty minutes of work they gave away just 6 penalties whereas in Paris they conceded 7 were in the opening half alone. The breakdown was contested with considered and appropriate intensity instead of over zealous but slightly wanton enthusiasm and a shaky lineout turned into a strong one. The scrummage wasn’t pristine, however it certainly provided enough of a platform for England’s backs to work from - something that was sorely lacking in Paris.
Out the back England enjoyed themselves and it all started from the performance of George Ford. The Fly half handled the augmented pressure on him like a man ten years older and looked back to his effortless best orchestrating proceedings from the middle. His pinpoint cross field kick to Anthony Watson was his most obvious contribution however there were many more examples of his vision and distribution and I believe he will start against Fiji. Outside of Ford the 'new' centre partnership caused little to be concerned about, Barritt and Joseph looked comfortable together and gelled well.
It was the performance that England required at the most pressured and important of times and it is testament to the England’s players and wider team that they handled the situation so well. Clearly, chances were missed and scrums were lost however when it came down to it Chris Robshaw and his team stepped up to the mark and silenced their doubters by never letting a very strong Irish side get, fully, into their stride. The baton is now handed back over to Stuart Lancaster to ensure that he nails the selection decisions for Fiji, his words in the post match pressure conference ‘we have no injury concerns’ are a blessing following such an intense test match. It was the lift that the squad and indeed the nation needed and I believe that England Rugby will now feel ready for whatever is going to be thrown at them this autumn.
