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Fans Split On Conor Murray Kick In Ireland Defeat To England

Fans Split On Conor Murray Kick In Ireland Defeat To England
Eoin Harrington
By Eoin Harrington Updated
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A late kick from Conor Murray was under the microscope after Ireland's dramatic last-gasp defeat to England at Twickenham on Saturday.

Ireland were not themselves in London, but England deserved full credit for their electric performance in stopping the Irish charge for a Grand Slam.

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James Lowe must have thought his try in the corner with mere moments to go would be the winning score, as it edged Ireland ahead by 22-20 after a draining contest in Twickenham.

The remaining two minutes, however, brought yet more drama, and Marcus Smith's drop goal ultimately won it for England with the last kick of the game.

It was a situation that could well have been preventable for Ireland.

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READ HERE: Scotland Fans Livid After Six Nations Hopes Crushed By Shock Loss To Italy

Late Conor Murray box kick v England comes under the spotlight

With 90 seconds to go, Ireland had regained possession and were just inside their own 22, with the game balanced on a knife-edge. Defending a two-point lead, it seemed as though Ireland would attempt to see out a few phases of recycled possession.

However, as the clock ticked past 78:30, substitute scrum-half Conor Murray chose instead to kick to touch. He ultimately did so, with England getting the put-in to the lineout ten metres into the Irish half.

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The ball re-entered play at 79:07, with England's Marcus Smith scoring a dramatic winning drop goal from the resulting possession.

With the game finely balanced and such little time remaining, many fans and punters were left confused by Conor Murray's decision to hand possession back to England at such a crucial stage of the game.

It was a tricky point in the game, and Ireland would likely have had to see out at least another five phases against an English defence which finally found its feet under Felix Jones on Saturday.

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Ireland had struggled to match the intensity of England throughout the game, so perhaps the decision was motivated by a desire to ease the pressure on Ireland near their own goal line - however, the kick did not perhaps reach the distance required to make it a worthwhile decision.

One of Ireland's biggest strengths in this tournament thus far has also been their lineout, so perhaps Murray believed that they could regain possession higher up the pitch. However, Saturday was an off day for the lineout and thus relying on it at this stage of the game was ultimately proven to be a strange decision.

Whether it was as simple a decision as attempting to eat into the time remaining, it was ultimately proven to be the wrong call.

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The ferocious England attack, which outscored Ireland three tries to two, took mere seconds to return to the Irish 22, and referee Nika Amashukeli had already given England two penalties by the time Marcus Smith knocked over his drop goal.

In Murray's defence, it was a fiercely tricky decision to make in the heat of battle, especially against such a determined England swarm defence. Hindsight is a beautiful thing but, unfortunately for him and Ireland, this was a call they'd probably rather take back.

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