The Six Nations returned this week, and the latest iteration seems off to a flier.
Ireland started with an arm wrestle of a game until the bench made a pivotal difference but what else can we learn from their clash v England
Ireland started with an arm wrestle of a game until the bench made a pivotal difference but what else can we learn from their clash v England
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England probably got the upper hand, often managing to prevent Ireland catching the ball cleanly.
Can continue to see the impact of the no escort rule. Both teams using the kicking game well.
England looked to attack down short sides frequently. By working hard on their reload and bouncing back on the return they were able to create overlaps to cause Ireland issues.
While Tony Brown's South Africa used it for wider direct carries Ireland varied their approach to get easy width and test different defenders.
A key part of Dan Sheehan's excellent try
His ability to throw accurate wide passes helped cut out English defenders and enabled Ireland to flank their opposition.
The pass from the lineout below is a perfect example of how Ireland accessed wide area of the field.
The use of these force defenders aimed to pin England into tighter attacking patterns.
The system relies on triggers accelerating on the pass to build pressure. Using players to defend two options, before pushing past layers did build pressure on Ireland.
An interesting next evolution for England.
Thanks Huw