"Ireland still won that, even against two refs. Just give Maro Itoje a whistle, next time."
As supporters filed out of the Aviva Stadium, one of the locals leaned over into the press section and shared his thoughts on the England captain. Itoje is a man who parses his words, when it comes to media duties and dressing room talks, but he was extremely vocal out on the pitch.
At one stage, after being instructed to talk to his team about discipline, the Saracens lock pleaded, "Can I talk to my team but no quick tap (penalty)?"
Anyone that stumped up the cash to listen in to the chat on the referee microphone would have heard a steady hum from Itoje. He was in the ear of referee Ben O'Keeffe for much of the game and, ultimately, it could have worked against him.
Caelan Doris, the Ireland captain, was more muted and chose his moments to try argue his side's case. He failed to change the mind of O'Keeffe when Itoje was illegally pinned in a ruck and Rónan Kelleher's try, as a result, was disallowed.
For the most part, though, Doris chose his battles and won over the Australian as battle raged on. In the final quarter, it was Itoje getting penalised for a gentle nudge on Jack Conan, in the lineout. England were pinged, soon after, for closing the lineout gap and Itoje's protests were in vain. As the game progressed, and England conceded more penalties under pressure, one could hear the frustration of O'Keeffe grow.
Second-half we didn't execute," Itoje later admitted. "We were probably on the wrong side of the referee."
Itoje was getting frustrated, too, evidenced by a petulant stamp on Mack Hansen, in the second half.
With British & Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell watching on from the stands, Doris emerged from a fierce contest looking more like the leading captaincy candidate for the tour Down Under.
While Itoje faded as a presence in the second half, and was lucky not to be picked up for a stamp at Mack Hansen, Doris was superb. He was up against it in the opening 40 but his impact grew in a hugely strong second half.
READ ALSO: Caelan Doris Couldn't Contain Reaction To Exuberant Rendition Of Ireland's Call

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell watches from the stands during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match against England. (Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile)
Maro Itoje turns down offer to discuss big calls
Following the game, Maro Itoje was asked about his experience as permanent England captain, and some of the big calls in the match. He opted not to get too deep in the weeds, with a diplomatic answer.
"It has always been a tremendous honour to be in this position," he said. "The team received me well, and it was a really good Test match.
"The boys played really well in the first half. It was a shame that it dropped off, after that. Overall, though, it was a real honour and a great Test match."
Up next for England are France, back in Twickenham. England have lost seven of their past nine Test matches with their only two victories in that stretch being against Japan.
One of the visting English reporters asked coach Steve Borthwick, "Is that good enough?"
Borthwick replied, "I understand that question, and why you had to ask." He added, "Our attack took another step forward, today, against one of the best defences in the world... You look at the two different teams, and Ireland have about 1,200 caps. With our team, we have just half that but, today, you don't see that difference... that (1200 caps for Ireland) was an England team that was aggressive and attacking."
England will hold dear to the losing bonus point they picked up and will try bring an 80-minute performance against Les Bleus.