The Grand Slam dream is over for Andy Farrell's Ireland after a high-octane one-point defeat to England at Twickenham ended their two-year unbeaten streak in the Six Nations.
A breathless game took many twists and turns, with England dominating the early stages before Ireland fought back to take a four-point lead in at half-time.
Though James Lowe scored two superb tries in the second half, England were impressively clinical and managed to score three tries against a defence which had hitherto only conceded two in this Six Nations.
FT: ENG 23-22 IRE
Marcus Smith wins it for England with the last kick of the game at Twickenham.
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Marcus Smith would clinch a memorable victory for England with a drop goal inside the 22 - the final kick of the game.
Tensions were high at Twickenham in a game which saw a contentious non-call from the TMO after Ellis Genge struck Tadhg Furlong's head in a clearout.
At the half-time break, TV cameras picked up Ireland head coach Andy Farrell in a heated exchange of words with his England counterpart Steve Borthwick.
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Andy Farrell clashes with Steve Borthwick at half-time of England v Ireland
As the teams left the field at half-time, Andy Farrell could be seen angrily gesticulating at England head coach Steve Borthwick.
Borthwick argued back, as the pair shared a heated exchange of words which continued as they left the stands to return to their dressing rooms.
Andy Farrell having words with Steve Borthwick at halftime.pic.twitter.com/kOR7Nn6Alc
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) March 9, 2024
On ITV punditry duty at half-time, Lawrence Dallaglio said that Farrell seemed "rattled" about something, which one presumed must have been an on-field incident from the first half.
At the full-time press conference, Farrell was asked to comment on his clash with Borthwick - and laughed it off in hilarious fashion.
I just said, 'how are you doing Steve. Nice to see you again.'
Borthwick similarly played down the incident in his post-match press conference. The England head coach said:
[Everything is] absolutely fine. Andy and I have known each other for a long time, we played alongside each other for England. We go back a long way.
What he has done with that Ireland team is just incredible, very special. They are an incredible team. I thought today was a very special test match.
Andy and I...I know people want to read into things like that [but] I think Andy and I have a very good relationship, we were co-captains together at Saracens as players. We coached together with the Lions in 2017. I have incredible respect for him and what he has done with that team.
In his post-match interview with RTÉ, Farrell had stressed the importance of Ireland graciously accepting defeat - only their second since July 2022.
We've been very good at winning, very gracious at winning. We've got to be very good at losing as well.
Making sure that we dust ourselves off and get back to work, make sure that we be ourselves to begin the week. We have a championship to win next week.
Ireland face Scotland at the Aviva Stadium next Saturday at 4:45pm, with their Six Nations destiny still in their own hands.
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