IRELAND PLAYED a monstrous game of rugby against England, and were rewarded for their efforts.
Ireland's Six Nations campaign has had its ups and downs, but watching them dominate England on Saturday is certainly one of the high points for Irish rugby fans in recent memory.
The final score was 32-18, but in reality it could have been even more, with the lads in green coming up with some really incredible moments of creativity from start to finish.
Keith Earls scored a gorgeous try just 20 minutes into the game to put Ireland 8-3 up, after England had threatened without really packing much of a punch.
KEITH EARLS! ⚡️
MAGIC FROM THE MUNSTER MAN!
JACK CONAN WITH QUALITY HANDS TOO! #IREvENG #GuinnessSixNations #VMTVRugby pic.twitter.com/VoFp834JCJ— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) March 20, 2021
A couple of lovely kicks from Johnny Sexton and a really well-taken try from Jack Conan ensured we went in ahead at the half-time break, with the English having no answer to Ireland's relentless pressure.
And things didn't change in the second half...
Unfortunately, Earls was denied another special try that we would have loved to have seen given purely as a reward for his creativity alone, but it was Sexton's perfect kicks during the second half that widened the gap as the game went on.
Bundee Aki got a red card with just under 20 minutes to go which led to a late fight back from the English and two late tries, but Ireland remained mostly in control even with a man less.
To put it plainly, Ireland bullied England from start to finish in every aspect of the game.
Simon Zebo probably put it best...
— Simon Zebo (@SimonZebo) March 20, 2021
After a fine week for the Irish at Cheltenham, this really is the cherry on the cake!
However, Irish fans may be left feeling somewhat curious as to why we couldn't have played like this from the start of the tournament, and what sort of position we'd be in if we did...
