England’s senior players were far from their best as they suffered a record defeat to Ireland at the Allianz Stadium. Fly-half George Ford, winning his 107th cap, made uncharacteristic errors, including twice missing touch, drawing sarcastic cheers from the crowd. “It’s not good, it’s not acceptable to do that,” Ford admitted. “Stuff like that happens in sport… it’s not for a lack of intent or endeavour.”
Prop Ellis Genge conceded that the team may have “believed the hype from the first week too much,” after a performance that mirrored their poor showing against Scotland. Hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie was substituted before the half-hour mark following lineout struggles, with Jamie George replacing him. “Luke has been playing brilliantly… he’s a two-time British Lion,” George said. “He’s disappointed.”
Other key figures also underperformed: Genge scrummaged well but tackled poorly, Tom Curry was inaccurate defensively, and Ben Earl lacked his usual impact. Captain Maro Itoje was hooked early for the second consecutive match, with head coach Steve Borthwick admitting the lock lacked sharpness after a disrupted December. Itoje’s form has raised questions, with Alex Coles and Ollie Chessum potential replacements for the next match against Italy.
“We certainly are not a bad team overnight,” Jamie George insisted. “The results have not been good enough… It’s really hard to put my finger on, other than when you chase a game that much from the start, and with 14 men on the field for too long, that then becomes a really challenging thing.”
The defeat leaves England’s leadership group under scrutiny after a 12-match winning run had built confidence in their collaborative approach. Now, with two heavy losses, the team must regroup during the fallow week before facing Italy in Rome.
