Ireland 42; England 21
Who honestly saw this coming? A wounded Irish side, written off after a Paris demolition and doubted after a labored victory over Italy in Dublin, marched into Twickenham and tore up the script most so-called experts, this one included, thought would end in another embarrassing away-day loss.
If you dared to think of a narrow victory before the game, your sanity would have been doubted. What we got instead was a historically big victory and point scoring margin - we just didn’t win it, we blew the England chariots out of the water.
A record Six Nations win at Twickenham. Five tries. Total control. A statement that roared across South West London, across the Irish Sea and across the globe to wherever top class rugby is followed and appreciated.
Head Coach Andy Farrell, the man we felt had been found out after many years leading the Six Nations’ managers list, didn’t just reinvent a jaded Ireland side - he gave them new intention, new invention and new desire to build on what they had achieved instead of clearing off into the sunset as a ‘has-been’ outfit.
This wasn’t Italy or Wales we demolished, this was England, unbeaten at home since 2024, who we outplayed in every department. We even improved on our previous biggest win in Twickenham - which 17 points four years ago - and did so with a swagger not seen since we totally dismantled the French in Marseille at the start of that same 2022 year.
Man of the match Jamison Gibson-Park,, thought to be over the hill at 34 pre-game, was simply magnificent, scoring the important first try with quick wits and quick body movement while he also was Dupont-like in how he dedicated play for the rest of his time on the pitch.
Newcomers, well relatively so, the wingers Rob Baloucoune and Tommy O'Brien were devastating in their forward runs and both got in for touchdowns in a devastating first half which left the English XV like punch drunk boxers unable to find their focus on any part of their defense or attack.
And let’s salute too Jack Crowley, the outhalf who was jettisoned for the new kid Sam Prendergast, only to be part of the solutions to our inexplicable return to mediocrity this past year, who gave a promising if not quite Sexton-esque performance as he drove Ireland forward with his clever play and his17 kicked points.
We were 22-0 up when England breached our defense on the stroke of the interval to get seven points and give them hope of a comeback. That too posed a question of whether we could keep the frenetic pace we set up for another 40 minutes, given the advancing years within the ranks of the squad.
The answer was yes, as we drew first blood on the changeover thanks to a try by Dan Sheehan which settled nerves and the game’s outcome into the process. That was the bonus point and when Jamie Osborne got over later, it was merely putting icing onto the cake, the hard kneading had been done by then.
This was our fifth win in the last six championship meetings with England and none felt sweeter as we watched home supporters stream for the exits, stunned into silence.
Ireland’s intent was clear from the outset. After soaking up early English pressure, Tadhg Beirne stole a lineout to ignite the first real attack. Though a chance went begging when James Lowe spilled the ball five metres out, Ireland refused to retreat.
Another turnover, this time from Joe McCarthy, allowed Gibson-Park to dart and draw a penalty, calmly slotted by Crowley.
England tried to impose themselves through Maro Itoje on his 100th cap, but composure deserted the hosts at crucial moments. When Lowe limped off, O’Brien entered and the momentum only sharpened.
Then came the breakthrough.
Baloucoune burned the outside channel, offloaded, England strayed offside and Gibson-Park tapped quickly, racing into the corner. Crowley converted. Double-digit lead and England had the majority of possession but Ireland were playing smart defensive rugby when it was called for and then were devastating in the movement up the park.
Ten up under such circumstances, Farrell’s boys went for the jugular.
The amazing Stuart McCloskey, my man of the match just slightly ahead of the man who got the honor. Gibson Park, smashed through the England defense in midfield. The breakdown was clinical as Sheehan cleared out the opponents, allowing his scrum half to flash the ball wide for Baloucoune to finish in the corner. A yellow card for England’s Freddie Steward compounded the home damage.
Moments later, the increasingly confident Baloucoune stepped inside Lawrence and fed O’Brien, on for the injured James Lowe, and the blond headed replacement showed blistering pace to score Ireland’s third dot down to make it 22-0 inside half an hour.
Twickenham was stunned except for the huge Irish following who gave a lusty rendering of the Fields of Athenry which echoed triumphantly around the ground.
England’s late first-half response had come through centre Fraser Dingwall, and converted by the again out of sorts out half George Ford, but it felt like a wasp’s final sting rather than a stake through the heart.
Captain Caelan Doris, returning to his imperial best, sliced through midfield early in the second half, drawing a cynical yellow from Henry Pollock. Sheehan tapped quickly and powered over.
England rallied briefly, Ollie Lawrence crossing under the posts, but Ireland’s control never wavered. When Osborne powered over for Ireland’s fifth, the scoreboard read 42-14. The contest was long over.
A late Sam Underhill try narrowed the margin, but the 21-point difference flattered England.
Afterwards, Doris was calm, almost reflective. “A lot of that has been external, internal, it’s been a pretty good feeling in camp. There’s been awareness that there’s been growth needed but also an awareness that there’s a lot of belief at the core of what we’re doing.
“I’ve been saying there’s been belief at the core of what we’ve been doing and we’ve seen some of that in training. It hasn’t fully come to fruition in games but we saw more of that today. Definitely a pleasing performance, I feel it gets us back on track a little bit, but two big games are still to come.”
Referring to what such an emphatic win would mean for the squad, he added: “I spoke about Paris being a reference point from where we need to see a steep incline in terms of performances; hopefully this will be a reference point we look back on as another game that’s built more belief for the squad. It’s a special feeling, we could see and feel the Irish from the very start from the anthems.
“It felt like there were more of them than English here today and they carried us through, MVP Gibson-Park echoed that response: “We were challenged a bit after our first outing against France and it wasn't something we were overly proud of. We saw a bit of that today. We're brave and we love to put the ball in space and let the guys on the edge do special things.
“It was a performance we can be proud of because it's unbelievably difficult to come to Twickenham and do that. We're pretty happy and will share a few beers tonight,” he declared with a glint in his eye.
So there we go. A team supposedly in transition goes to a stadium that is supposedly a fortress and we win by double scores.
Not many saw it coming. I didn’t but sometimes the pleasure of being proven wrong is never sweeter than when one of our national teams give us a collective memory we will cherish for the ages.
Ireland: J Osborne; R Baloucoune, G Ringrose, S McCloskey, J Lowe; J Crowley, J Gibson-Park; J Loughman, D Sheehan, T Furlong, J McCarthy, J Ryan, T Beirne, J van der Flier, C Doris (capt) Replacements: R Kelleher (Sheehan 56), T O'Toole (Loughman 47), F Bealham (Furlong 47), N Timoney (van der Flier 50), C Prendergast (McCarthy 63), C Casey, C Frawley (Ringrose 55), T O'Brien(Lowe 18).
Ref: A Piardi (FIR).
