Ireland in instalments

[Digby]

Minute 47

Ireland opt for a 5m attacking lineout and just about win the ball at the rear of the lineout, it wasn't a clean take. Ireland set about some one out drives.

[Digby]

Minute 48

More one out driving plays, sometimes Ireland gain an inch, mostly it's staying on the gainline, even when Ireland are playing with an advantage for a high tackle by Sincks.

At the end of the minute Peyper like everyone else has had enough and blows for the penalty.

[Digby]

Minute 49

Ireland decline an easy 3 points, even for Sexton, and take the scrum, well say they will take a scrum, there's no actual scrum, indeed nothing actually happens

[Digby]

Minute 50

The ball is coming out between Stander and VdF, but Stander keeps his cool and kicks the ball back into the scrum and further away from Youngs before picking up to feed Murray heading right. Murray heads for Ford but Underhill grabs him coming off the scrum.

There's a decent drive from POM, we can't slow the ball enough and Henshaw picks a gap between Farrell and Ford and crashes over for a try, Farrell might be standing just a little too close to Ford on his outside inviting Henshaw to pick that gap, but I guess if he stands a little close to Curry we might just have seen Henshaw run over Ford for the same result.

All stems from the needless penalty from Farrell going back a few minutes.

[Digby]

Minute 51

Nothing happens

[Digby]

Minute 52

A horrible conversion attempt from Sexton, if he's not fit then Murray is a perfectly acceptable goal kicker and Sexton is letting the side down by not accepting he simply isn't close to making decent contact.

England restart to our right into Ireland's 22 where Aki takes the catch, a really good chase by May allows him to sit down Aki and then Lawes is there to drive over, or should be there to drive over, instead Lawes goes off his feet and is stopped from getting at the ball by Stockdale. Rucking past the ball isn't much of a thing now, and had he done it an Ireland player coming back might have just dropped on the ball anyway, still it seemed a better call than going off his feet and being held up by a back.

[Digby]

Minute 53

Ireland run a couple of phases just to get Murray onto the ball on his right foot. Murray makes and exit kick but it doesn't go out and Curry and Lawes get the ball under control and it's back with Farrell who wangs it well back to Ford who passes to JJ

England have developed a nice 2 on 5 underlap way behind the gainline, and this from a side that loves to kick. JJ takes the ball into contact and we get a little lucky that Ireland have 3 players who might go at the ball, two of them are Stander and VdF, but the one actually in the way of the other two who does is Sexton and that's much easier for Tuilagi to deal with.

Youngs throws a long pass right for Sincks who has Furlong closing on him, and again Sincks drops off a lovely pass, not quite as good as his earlier one but nice enough and it's to the freshly arrived LCD on his outside. Not much is happening and Ford puts a kick along the floor into touch just outside the Ireland 22

[Digby]

Minute 54

Ireland win the lineout, at the front, try to maul and fail before Murray makes a clearing kick, JJ comes up and under some pressure makes the catch. England work to the right and Farrell puts up a high kick

[Digby]

Minute 55

May gets up well but can only knock on, Manu gathers and runs in the knock on but its back for the scrum.

[Digby]

Minute 56

I think Marler is boring in at Furlong, Furlong is forced inwards and Ryan gets forced out and Ireland don't have enough power left in the scrum, Stander tries to pick up at the base but gets tackled by Underhill and the ball shoots loose on Ireland's side towards their left touchline, the same side of the field the scrum in on

Peyper awards England a penalty, which Sincks annoyingly celebrates rather than pays attention to the fact the game hasn't stopped

The ball that was squirting out backwards goes forward off Ryan's shin, Kruis picks up and feeds May. May runs hard at Ireland's midfield picking out Aki. Aki gets May to ground and gets over the ball, I'd ping him for going off his feet but Peyper pings him for not releasing, there might just have been some slight release from Aki but nothing clear. Youngs could clear the ball quicker but in the moment the ball is available he's busy seagulling. Youngs builds an additional 3 seconds into the ruck just from him not being ready to play and then has to spin around looking for someone to pass to. In the end Youngs does well enough to to pass out but just to drop a short ball to Kruis who takes contact and makes a decent presentation where May doesn't wait for Youngs and just sends the ball back to Ford. Ford to Curry, Curry to Manu, Manu to nobody and just runs into Henshaw, Henshaw manages to keep hold of Manu's ankles and this doesn't allow good presentation, and then with Youngs working around to retrieve the ball Henshaw in moving out of the way is blocking Youngs, it might be accidental from Henshaw, it's brilliant if he meant to slow play like that

Youngs shapes for a long pass out but turns and heads upfield but picks the wrong shoulder of Furlong to attack and is tackled down, but does get the ball away to Curry. England recycle and work right where we've a chance to set up a 3 on 2, but Farrell passes without committing POM and then Daly passes without drawing Stockdale and JJ faced with a 2 on 2 and LCD outside him cuts back inside.

[Digby]

Minute 57

England recycle and head left where Farrel makes a pull back pass to Ford and Ford runs at the line and makes a half break. Manu clears out the ruck and there's an excellent chance for Underhill to make a pick and go play Into a big hole that a blowing Furlong would have to try and cover across to close but Underhill just bridges over the ball, looks like a blown 5 points but as Underhill was approaching Furlong was running back into the space he'd need to attack and he hasn't realised just how narrow Furlong gets as the guard

Itoje with a carry where he's almost held up and does well to get to the floor, and then Youngs makes one of his specials passes to the head of the player coming onto the ball, JJ this time who does well to hold onto the ball.

England now slow right down with a series of pick and go plays. Itoje makes three dummy attempts at picking the ball up from the base and then pass out to LCD

[Mikey Brown]

Minute 56

I think Marler is boring in at Furlong, Furlong is forced inwards and Ryan gets forced out and Ireland don't have enough power left in the scrum, Stander tries to pick up at the base but gets tackled by Underhill and the ball shoots loose on Ireland's side towards their left touchline, the same side of the field the scrum in on

Peyper awards England a penalty, which Sincks annoyingly celebrates rather than pays attention to the fact the game hasn't stopped

The ball that was squirting out backwards goes forward off Ryan's shin, Kruis picks up and feeds May. May runs hard at Ireland's midfield picking out Aki. Aki gets May to ground and gets over the ball, I'd ping him for going off his feet but Peyper pings him for not releasing, there might just have been some slight release from Aki but nothing clear. Youngs could clear the ball quicker but in the moment the ball is available he's busy seagulling. Youngs builds an additional 3 seconds into the ruck just from him not being ready to play and then has to spin around looking for someone to pass to. In the end Youngs does well enough to to pass out but just to drop a short ball to Kruis who takes contact and makes a decent presentation where May doesn't wait for Youngs and just sends the ball back to Ford. Ford to Curry, Curry to Manu, Manu to nobody and just runs into Henshaw, Henshaw manages to keep hold of Manu's ankles and this doesn't allow good presentation, and then with Youngs working around to retrieve the ball Henshaw in moving out of the way is blocking Youngs, it might be accidental from Henshaw, it's brilliant if he meant to slow play like that

Youngs shapes for a long pass out but turns and heads upfield but picks the wrong shoulder of Furlong to attack and is tackled down, but does get the ball away to Curry. England recycle and work right where we've a chance to set up a 3 on 2, but Farrell passes without committing POM and then Daly passes without drawing Stockdale and JJ faced with a 2 on 2 and LCD outside him cuts back inside.

Take a break, buddy. You’re hallucinating.

[Digby]

Minute 58

England head to the right where Ford and Farrell work to put Daly into a 1 on 1, Daly tries to use the pass as an extra man just fading off it a little and perhaps he'd have created enough of an arm tackle he'd be over but he snatches at the pass and knocks it on

[Digby]

Take a break, buddy. You’re hallucinating.

He's pretty much been our best passer in this game, though there remains the question how much is he causing a problem by not being a running option, which is to say is he looking good in the struggling plays we need never have to begin with?

[Digby]

Minute 59

There is a scrum but it doesn't complete and they'll go again.

Somewhere as an aside I've lost the clock again as there's another scrum which doesn't complete in what I'd want to be the 60th minute but as per the match clock happens in the 59th minute

Long story short I can't observe basic levels of competency involving numbers and sod all happens when props are given a chance to fuck around, or scrum as they call it

[Digby]

Minute 60

Sausages is on and England win a scrum penalty, owing to my lack of counting ability I don't know how long we've been scrumming now unless I check and that I can't be bothered to do, but yet again after minutes given over to the scrum no scrum completes and it ends in a penalty, just pathetic.

[Digby]

Minute 61

England win kick to touch for an attacking 5m lineout and win ball at the front with Ewels. We try to maul which isn't a huge success other than Ireland collapse and it's another penalty.

[Digby]

Minute 62

Faz sticks the penalty to touch again.

England win lineout ball at the front with Launch, I was about to launch into a rant about sodding ball being taken at the front but this time the maul works with Launch working really hard at the apex driving the front up and down. LCD is the man crashing over for a try, and that's the game.

[Digby]

Minute 63

Nothing happens

[Digby]

Minute 64

Faz is around 10 seconds over his allowed time for the kick, but it's allowed and he makes the extras

Sexton kicks off long to Ford who simply clears up past out 10m line. It doesn't really feel like Ireland had any plans around their restart game

[Digby]

Minute 65

Ireland win lineout ball at the front, some slight interest in that the throw is down the middle, the forwards coach will probably want a word with Kelleher

Ireland spread the ball wide and Aki fires a nice pass to Earls on the left wing, it really allows Earls to run onto the ball, either Aki can pass and the rest of the time he's been lulling us into a false sense of security or this was a happy mistake. England have drifted but Earls makes a good few metres down the left. Bit of a messy tackle from May, high by many modern takes on the tackle

Earls deems he wasn't held and scrambles another couple of metres but he's slowing his own attack more than winning the gainline. May gets around to put pressure on Cooney and with the ball loose Cooney can either make sure May can't pick up and break for free or seagull to the ref, Cooney elects to seagull to the ref. May breaks down the right and with Henshaw coming across puts in a kick to chase, May can't chase as Henshaw dives across may with an illegal shoulder charge. Cooney runs back and dots the ball down but the ref is realistically look at options for a yellow card and penalty or yellow card and penalty try, Peyper goes with the drop out.

As May's kick is heading infield the penalty try isn't an obvious call as Cooney isn't out of the race with May, but it should be a yellow card and penalty at minimum, or one might say May only got to Cooney by standing offside, really the only thing it isn't is a drop out, but that's what we have.

[Digby]

Minute 66

Ireland probably drop out, we're watching the shoulder charge on May instead though. England take what was a short kick off one presume just outside the Irish 22 on our right, after Stander briefly slows the ball we're passing left

Heinz has a two man pod outside of Itoje and LCD, Itoje has the ball and makes a pull back pass to Farrell, and Farrell has a two man pod outside him he ignores to make a huge pullback pass to Ford. It's really the sort of distance you need to be willing to play behind the gainline to escape the blitz. And England have options but sadly Ford passes a bit early to Daly, Conway reads the play and pushes up on Daly, Daly could maybe still step Conway but he's looking for a pass and on his inside Manu is just ahead of him and on the outside JJ has stayed wide, Daly tries to find JJ but the pass goes forward under pressure.

[Digby]

Minute 67

This will astound given it's a scrum, but nothing happens

[Digby]

Minute 68

And knock me sideways, after nearly 2 minutes of failing to restart the game post England's technical error the scrum doesn't even complete but ends in a penalty to Ireland. What a farce

Ireland kick to touch just outside England's 22

[Digby]

Minute 69

The lineout isn't remotely straight, it's difficult for England to reach and it's down their side, and joy of joys it's another scrum

There's a vague attempt at a scrum, but noting happens and we will have a reset.