Ireland's decision to kick away possession with 90 seconds remaining on the clock at Twickenham was a less risky option than holding onto the ball and winding down the clock, according to Donal Lenihan.
Conor Murray’s late box-kick, with Ireland two points to the good, alleviated pressure momentarily, but a ravenous England surged forward with intent, drawing two penalty advantage decisions before Marcus Smith slotted home a drop goal to end Irish hopes of a second successive Grand Slam.
Some observers have questioned whether Murray – who came on for fellow replacement Ciarán Frawley after the Leinster back failed a HIA with Jamison Gibson-Park shunted out to the wing – should have either gone for distance or direct his pack to run down the clock.
The kick came on the back of an Irish lineout, and speaking on RTÉ’s Against the Head, Darren Cave felt the decision was correct, if the execution was slightly off.
"My opinion was throw it to the end of the lineout, maul it for as long as you can and either put up a contestable box kick that would be on the 10m line that’s a 50/50, or with a bit of luck you might get a penalty, or kick it as long as you can," he said.
Darren Cave and Donal Lenihan feel that Ireland overlooked better options while two points up with 90 seconds to go in their defeat to England but that trying to hold possession in their own 22 wasn't one of them | Watch Against the Head @RTE2 and @RTEPlayer #SixNations pic.twitter.com/IXHhFKMZu8
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 11, 2024
Fellow pundit Donal Lenihan believes that the presence of a scrum-half on the wing meant Ireland were always up against it to retrieve Murray’s kick.
"To be fair to Conor Murray, given Jamison Gibson-Park is on the right wing, if you are going to put up a contestable, he’s the wrong fella to have there," he said.
"If you put Hugo Keenan on that right wing to chase the kick – he was brilliant in the air all day – it could have made a difference.
"If you weren’t going to kick longer to touch, the kick was the 5m channel, parallel to the touchline, compete in the air, if England catch it, drive the receiver into touch.
"Think of all the things going through the players’ heads at that stage."
Lenihan argues the argument of running the clock down is overly simplistic given the way officials more often than not tend to come down in favour the side seeking possession for a late score
"You had 90 seconds left on the clock. People saying they shouldn’t have kicked the ball, they should have gone through phase play, you are looking at a minimum of 8-10 phases.
"In that time in the game, the referee is forensically looking at every breakdown and way more so than at any other time of the game."
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