• Home
  • /
  • Rugby
  • /
  • Clive Woodward Hints That England Were Cuter Than Ireland In Quarter-Finals

Clive Woodward Hints That England Were Cuter Than Ireland In Quarter-Finals

Clive Woodward Hints That England Were Cuter Than Ireland In Quarter-Finals
Gary Connaughton
By Gary Connaughton
Share this article

Looking at this afternoon's Rugby World Cup quarter-final between England and Fiji, it must leave Ireland fans wondering what might have been if the draw at the tournament had not been quite so lopsided.

Today's game in Marseille between those two sides was an entertaining one, but the quality on show paled in comparison to what was on display when Ireland faced the All Blacks in Paris last night.

Ultimately, none of that matters, with England advancing further in this event than Andy Farrell's men after their 30-24 victory over the Fijians.

Recommended

The English were in a dominant position for most of the match, although they could never quite put the opposition away. Fiji managed to get back on level terms in the final 15 minutes or so, only for Owen Farrell to go down the other end and hit a key drop goal.

After they kicked another penalty a few minutes later, they ultimately managed to see out the result and earn a place in the final four of the World Cup.

Clive Woodward hints England were cuter than Ireland in quarter-finals

While few would argue that England are a better side than Ireland, the fact of the matter is that they have managed to advance further into this year's Rugby World Cup. That is mostly down to the draw they were given, although some feel that they showed a cuteness that Ireland were perhaps lacking in the two sides' respective quarter-finals.

Advertisement

Speaking on ITV after the win over Fiji, Clive Woodward said that Ireland should have perhaps taken the easy points more often in their game against New Zealand, something England did effectively in this game with the Owen Farrell drop goal at a key moment.

We were shouting 'drop goal, drop goal'. It's such an important weapon in knockout rugby.

I think Ireland will look at that. They had the chance last night Ireland, a couple of times they could have built the score. Keep that scoreboard ticking over.

Owen Farrell I have to say, a lot of people criticise him starting, he was absolutely brilliant. He led the team well, the drop goal was amazing. Hats off to him, he kept his nerve.

He was fantastic and I think that was the difference between the two teams. He led the team so well.

If you can keep that scoreboard ticking over, you win these knockout games.

Ireland turned down a few kickable penalties last night in favour of going to the corner. While they did leave some points on the table, they also managed to score a try from this method in the first half.

In truth, if there's anything that Ireland will wish they had taken from England in this World Cup, it's probably the draw they were handed almost three years before the tournament got underway.

SEE ALSO: Joe Schmidt Shared A Beautiful Moment With Johnny Sexton's Son After Ireland Loss

Join The Monday Club Have a tip or something brilliant you wanted to share on? We're looking for loyal Balls readers free-to-join members club where top tipsters can win prizes and Balls merchandise

Processing your request...

You are now subscribed!

Share this article

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Developed by Square1 and powered by PublisherPlus.com

Advertisement