SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: Steve Borthwick’s 14 men put pride back in the England shirt against Ireland

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By James

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: England may not have ruined Ireland’s Grand Slam party, but Steve Borthwick’s 14 men were back to pride in the jersey after defeating France last week.

  • England bounced back with passion despite suffering defeat against Ireland
  • The hosts’ triumphant 29-16 victory in Dublin gave Ireland a historic Grand Slam
  • England’s tough task was not helped by Freddie Steward’s red card before half time

By Sir Clive Woodward for the Mail on Sunday

Published: | Updated:

The contrast between England’s woeful performance against France last Saturday and against Ireland in Dublin last night was like chalk and cheese.

After the setback that Les Bleus received from Steve Borthwick’s men, they once again made their shirt proud at the Aviva Stadium, although it was not enough to stop an Irish Grand Slam.

I wrote in the build up to the game that I simply couldn’t see a single way England could win this match, but they deserve credit for the way they responded to France.

Borthwick saw his team lose Freddie Steward to a red card, one I thought didn’t warrant a sending off, but even with 14 men they were in contention with the world number 1 team. At 60 minutes England were only a point behind and that may encourage them.

Before we go any further into England, I want to give credit to Ireland. They fully deserved to win the Grand Slam this year. Ireland and France are the two best teams on the planet right now.

Ireland beat England 29-16 to win the Grand Slam title on Saturday afternoon, scoring a historic victory at the Aviva Stadium, but Steve Borthwick’s men once again took pride in the jersey.

Freddie Steward was sent off on the brink of half time after he inadvertently put Hugo Keenan to the ground with his shoulder, making contact with the full-back's head as he collected the ball.

Freddie Steward was sent off on the brink of half time after he inadvertently put Hugo Keenan to the ground with his shoulder, making contact with the full-back’s head as he collected the ball.

Facing those teams in the last two weeks has been a great learning experience for England. The two defeats have shown England exactly where they are.

Ireland were much better before the team ran out of breath in the fourth quarter, with Steward seeing red and Jack Willis in the bin. It is impossible to defend against a team like Ireland with one man less, let alone 13 players on the field. The result was inevitable late Irish tries.

Despite those scores, England never fell apart in Dublin as they did against France. It’s strange to be in a position that speaks positively of England after yet another defeat. Any senior England team should be looking to win each and every game they play.

That should be the goal for us as a major rugby nation, but at the same time the reality is that it is not possible at the moment.

England are way behind the best teams on the planet and have to build from a lower base. The team has a lot of work to do ahead of this year’s World Cup.

I don’t think Steward’s red card ruined the game because in my opinion Ireland were always going to win and would have anyway had England been left with 15 on the pitch.

England succumbed to their worst defeat at Twickenham last Saturday, losing 10-53 to France

England succumbed to their worst defeat at Twickenham last Saturday, losing 10-53 to France

Jamie George gave England's 14 workers the least they deserved: a trial against Ireland

Jamie George gave England’s 14 workers the least they deserved: a trial against Ireland

But at the same time, I didn’t think the full-back should have been sacked. When Steward collided with his counterpart Hugo Keenan, there was no one in our ITV commentary studio to say a word. There was no one yelling ‘Wow. That has to be a red card or something.

Steward’s elbow definitely connected with Keenan’s head. I totally understand that rugby needs to limit head contact to protect players, but I also think there needs to be a bit of empathy in rugby in those kinds of situations. I think Steward should have received a yellow card at most. There was no way the Leicester winger was deliberately trying to hurt Keenan.

With the World Cup just around the corner, we have to make these important decisions because red cards can have a defining impact on matches now.

I repeat myself in saying that I think Ireland would still have won against England even if Steward had stayed on the field. They have a truly wonderful team packed with world class players.

His attack game is ruthlessly simple but very effective.

England put Grand Slam winners Ireland to the test, defending much better than they did last weekend

England put Grand Slam winners Ireland to the test, defending much better than they did last weekend

The first try they scored through Dan Sheehan was exactly that, with a small inside pass from Josh van der Flier completely missing the England defence.

When England look back on this Six Nations, they need to look at the France and Ireland games in detail to see what level they need to reach. It’s not all doom and gloom and I remain optimistic about Borthwick’s appointment as head coach after his first season in charge.

Yes, he will have wanted it to be much better than it was. And yes, England can play better than they showed. But after the hammering of France, we have to look at the positive aspects of Ireland’s game as painfully as having suffered another loss.

The hard work must now continue. There are only six months left for the World Cup. If that tournament started tomorrow, you couldn’t say England would be a real contender.

A mockery or the right red card?

Freddie Steward’s red card just before half time turned England’s game upside down and sparked a fierce debate among the pundits.

Sir Clive Woodward, the former World Cup-winning England manager and Sportsmail columnist, said referee Peyper was wrong to penalize the full-back after he stepped forward with his shoulder and hit Hugo Keenan’s head.

But Ireland legend Brian O’Driscoll disputed his co-expert’s opinion and backed Alain Rolland, the former international referee, who spoke to the Mail on Sunday.

Sir Clive Woodward: ‘When you see it live, none of us said it was a yellow card or a red card. It’s just a rugby incident that happens. Keenan goes to kick him and he falls a bit, Steward enters. Freddie Steward is not a dirty player, he’s not going to say, “I’m going to hurt this player.” To the letter of the law it’s a red card, but in terms of a rugby incident, it’s a yellow card at best. I think they should shake hands and move on. He was wrong, it’s a yellow card.

Brian O’Driscoll: Steward goes in to prepare for a head-on collision. You’re not in a strong position if you stay square, you’re going to turn your body. It’s incredibly unfortunate that he hit him over the head with his elbow. As soon as he saw the replay, there is a defender’s duty of care over the attacker, regardless of the knockout. He can’t lead with his shoulder like that. He catches him square in the head. Jaco Peyper made the right decision, although it is difficult to make.’

Alain Rolland: “There will be a lot of people saying that the red card is bad luck, harsh and unfair. It’s all of those things, but it’s not bad. Did we see head contact? Yes, that’s clear. Did he go at a high force with a high degree of danger? Yes. The player left the field and did not return. We have a duty to care. It wasn’t accidental and there really wasn’t any mitigating factor. No last-minute changes in height or ball movement. It’s unfortunate, but if you stick to the facts of the head contact process, it’s no surprise that it ended in a red card.

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