JACK CONAN REFUSED to gloss over the flaws in Ireland’s performance this evening after they left it late to record a 32-15 win over an England side who played with 14 players for 79 minutes.
Charlie Ewels was red-carded after just 82 seconds but despite racing into an 8-0 lead, Ireland lost their composure as discipline issues, scrum problems and unforced errors combined to allow England draw level with a quarter of the game to go.
That was when Ireland’s bench was emptied and the replacements all made a massive impact, Conan and Finlay Bealham scoring tries, Conor Murray making sensible decisions, Robbie Henshaw playing with a point to prove. The bonus-point win guarantees them second-place in the championship and they will win the title if they defeat Scotland next week and France lose to England.
Afterwards Conan said: “The lads put in a savage effort for 60 minutes and to be fair to England, it is always tough when you are down to 14 men. We stayed on it for 80 minutes and it really paid dividends in the end.
“Look, it was not perfect from us but we have put ourselves in the best possible position looking ahead to the final round.
“England are obviously a quality outfit. We made some silly mistakes which were within our control and we will be disappointed with those errors. There are always areas where we can get better. When a team goes down to 14, it is hard not to change your mental approach to the game.
“You are more inclined to go a bit wider and not stay tight in your shape. We went back to our original plan, stuck to the shape and it paid off.
“We spoke about the history we have had here; we took inspiration from 2018 and we have plenty to play for next week. We are in a good position going into that game now.”
Full-back, Hugo Keenan, added: “We are delighted with the win; it wasn’t easy and it probably was not our best performance.
“Our set-piece was not firing but look, we are absolutely delighted because we know how hard it is to come here and get the win, to get the points. That is all that matters.
“Our intent was there but we were a little one or two per cent off. The fact we had 14 men meant we probably didn’t respect it enough, especially at the start; but we learned our lessons and finished the game off really well.
“Our bench had such a big impact. We had four Lions on the bench and you could really feel the difference when they came in. That made the difference.”
Victory over Scotland next week will secure Ireland’s first Triple Crown since 2018 and just their second in 13 years.
“We have been talking for a week now about lifting a bit of silverware in front of our home support in the Aviva,” said Keenan. “That was the ultimate goal from today; we are in that position where we can get the Triple Crown and you never know what might happen in the Six Nations.”
