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Earls marks milestone with try in routine Ireland win over England

Updated / Saturday, 19 Aug 2023 20:28
Keith Earls scored his 36th try for Ireland on his 100th cap
Keith Earls scored his 36th try for Ireland on his 100th cap

It was a win with a whole lot of homework to do.

Andy Farrell's Ireland finished their home Summer Nations Series with a by-the-numbers victory over a disinterested and ill-disciplined England outfit, while the Grand Slam champions were also guilty performing well below their best.

It may have been Ireland’s second outing of the summer but with Farrell having selected 15 new starters from the win over Italy, a measure of rustiness was to be expected.

Billed as a proper Test match, it had none of the bite or niggle that is usually associated with this fixture.

If we learn in later years that a gentleman’s agreement was reached between the parties prior to kick off it will not come as a surprise.

It was, in fact, all very civilised, until Billy Vunipola’s 53rd-minute red card for a dangerous tackle on Andrew Porter.

But the game was lifted as Keith Earls celebrated his 100th cap milestone with a spectacular try, while man of the match Mack Hansen was superb throughout as Ireland beat England for the fourth time in a row and stretched their winning streak to a record-equalling 12 games.

Farrell will also anxiously await a medical report on hooker Dan Sheehan who was substituted before half-time.

The first half was a poor excuse, the murmur of the crowd audible before the break as they chatted among themselves.

There's no guarantee the subject was rugby but possible topics could have been the sloppy lineouts, the slow scrums, the overcooked kicks and the bad passes.

England, led by half-backs Ben Youngs and George Ford, appeared to be aiming all their kicks into the welcoming arms of an ever-ready Hansen.

When he fielded one up and under, Ireland recycled quickly and after James Lowe made some ground out wide, soft hands by Josh van der Flier freed Peter O’Mahony and the Munster captain was able to draw in the covering Freddie Steward to send Bundee Aki under the posts in the ninth minute.

That gave Ireland the lead after an early Ford penalty, for an offside by Tadhg Beirne, opened the scoring.

England did enjoy a small spell of pressure after that when Cian Prendergast, auditioning for a place in the 33-man squad for the World Cup, lost the ball in contact on his own 22 but the same man was there to win a turnover penalty a few phases later.

One can only guess what Farrell was saying under his breath when the camera cut to the coaches box after the Irish lineout was penalised for a banking offence.

That they have been unable to sort out that particular move will frustrate Paul O’Connell, the protestations of captain James Ryan cutting no ice with referee Paul Williams.

Ford missed a very kickable penalty in the 26th minute after Hansen was penalised at a ruck but the most concerning play of the half was when hooker Sheehan was replaced by Rob Herring.

The Leinster man has been in incredible form for club and country and the hope is that what looked like a shoulder injury is not too serious.

There was a slight moment of concern too following Ireland’s second try.

After taking Hansen’s inch-perfect cross-kick, Garry Ringrose cut inside Elliot Daly and barged into two defenders on the line.

But the Leinster centre was just winded and fine to continue and his 14th international try, after good work by Hugo Keenan, Prendergast and O’Mahony and Prendergast in the build-up, gave Ireland a 12-3 cushion at the break.

Basking in the mid-August sunshine, the crowd momentarily tried to start the 'Fields of Athenry' early in the second half but two Irish lineout errors in quick succession inside the England 22 saw the song drowned out by groans.

With the Owen Farrell disciplinary process dominating much of the the build-up to the game, the crowd’s angry reaction – once seen in slow motion – to Vunipola’s high tackle on Andrew Porter was inevitable.

The referee sent the Saracens number 8 to the bin with a bunker review and it took just three minutes for TMO Ben Whitehouse to confirm that the tackle had a high degree of danger, no wrap attempt, no mitigation: red. Thankfully Porter was fine to continue.

England, who had at one point three players in the sin-bin against Wales last weekend, continue to make life difficult for themselves and it also cost them a try in the next phase.

Tadhg Furlong, who got 57 good minutes under his belt, and Van der Flier made the ground before Ross Byrne skipped a long pass out to an unmarked Lowe to run in.

Byrne, who kicked one of four conversions, missed but there was more concern moments later when Lowe and Aki banged heads when combining for a tackle.

The centre made way for Jack Crowley and when Lowe was ordered off for a head injury assessment, it was time for Earls to make his 100th cap and the Munster wing received a huge ovation. It was a special moment for an Irish rugby legend, who’ll feel there’s one last hurrah in France, and Farrell will find it hard to argue otherwise.

He became just the ninth player to reach 100 international appearances.

When Maro Itoje went high on Keenan, Ireland had another opportunity and when the ball came to Byrne, the out-half standing in for the suspended Johnny Sexton, once again found a winger, this time Hansen getting the try his play deserved.

Kyle Sinckler got England's only try of the game from close range before the Aviva Stadium erupted for Ireland’s final try in the 73rd minute as Earls got on the end of a long Aki pass and sprinted for the corner.

Three English defenders looked favourites to usher him into touch but a spectacular dive and somersault was the perfect finish for his 36th try in green.

Sheehan’s injury aside they’ll be glad to get this game out of the way and next up is a trip to the south of France to take on Samoa in their final warm-up match next weekend.

Ireland: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, James Lowe; Ross Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong; Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan (capt); Peter O'Mahony, Josh van der Flier, Cian Prendergast.

Replacements: Rob Herring, Jeremy Loughman, Finlay Bealham, Joe McCarthy, Caelan Doris, Conor Murray, Jack Crowley, Keith Earls.

England: Freddie Steward; Anthony Watson, Joe Marchant, Manu Tuilagi, Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Will Stuart; Maro Itoje, David Ribbans; Courtney Lawes (capt), Ben Earl, Billy Vunipola.

Replacements: Theo Dan, Joe Marler, Kyle Sinckler, Ollie Chessum, Jack Willis, Danny Care, Marcus Smith, Ollie Lawrence.

Referee: Paul Williams (NZR).

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