Ireland were twelve point favourites f0r their trip to Twickenham today but England played the majority of the first half like the team chasing a second consecutive Grand Slam. However the complexion of the first half of England v Ireland could have been very different if TMO Been Whitehouse had taken a more involved role in reviewing a clearout on Tadhg Furlong.
The incident happened after 23 minutes in the first half when England were leading 8-6. A ruck just outside Ireland's 22 was contested by prop Tadhg Furlong. Bristol Bears prop Ellis Genge can be seen flying into the ruck and cleared Furlong out. However on second viewing you see that perhaps the clear out wasn't all that legal. It appears that Furlong was hit in the head and he went down momentarily clutching his face.
The incident wasn't spotted by the referee and went unreviewed by the TMO. Furlong was able to continue and wasn't taken in for a Head Injury Assessment.
"In an era when it's 'head contact, concussions' I'm just amazed it wasn't looked at" - Donal Lenihan thought England's Ellis Genge was lucky to get away with this clearout on Tadhg Furlong in the victory over Ireland | Watch Against the Head @RTE2 and @RTEPlayer #SixNations pic.twitter.com/knWzv7dxaH
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 11, 2024
Point of contact: tucked arm, leading shoulder, direct contact to the head with force.
Oh, dear. https://t.co/V9HfDi0b8z pic.twitter.com/3auvwJrdUm
— Tim O'Connor (@timoconnorbl) March 9, 2024
England v Ireland did not go to script
Although Ireland went into the sheds with a 12-9 lead, it was anything but smooth sailing for them. The first Irish attack seemed to be a look at what's to come as there was immense pace on the ball and Ireland were going past the gainline. Jack Crowley scored a penalty after an England offside
However the dominance wouldn't last as England centre Ollie Lawrence would score the first try of the match after only three minutes. He was able to make a break down the wing as Ireland winger Calvin Nash was grounded after an attempt to make a tackle.
Nash would be taken in for a HIA and would fail, meaning a re-jigging in the backline as Cíaran Frawley came on at full back and Hugo Keenan moved to the wing.
England would continue their dominance as they were camped in the Irish half. Ireland were uncharacteristically poor in attack during the first half. The best they could muster up was a phase or two in England's half and England's ill discipline gave Ireland a chance to score another penalty which was taken by Crowley.
England looked to be in for another try however as a grubber kick by George Ford ricocheted off a couple of hands and ended up with Ollie Lawrence, who would saunter under the posts. From the immediate replays it seemed clear that England's George Furbank knocked the ball on after failing to regather it. However referee Nika Amashukeli would take a very long time to make a simple decision, to the dismay of RTÉ commentator Donal Lenihan.
ENG 8-6 IRE
DISALLOWED TRY ENGLAND
27 mins England denied a second try at Twickeham as George Furbank knocks on just before the line.
📺Watch live https://t.co/XnOP6grnB7
📱Live updates https://t.co/vZ4HnjxFMM pic.twitter.com/6g6vdYG4UA— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 9, 2024
Interestingly the Genge clearout happened a few phases before the disallowed try was under extreme replay scrutiny
Ireland would pick things up slightly as it was coming towards halftime and would score two more penalties through Jack Crowley to take a 12-9 lead going into halftime. It mightn't have been a deserved lead but it definitely could've been a lot worse.
However England were lucky to escape the half without conceded a red card for the fourth consecutive time against Ireland.
SEE ALSO: England Coach Points Finger At Ref After Phenomenal Ireland U20s Comeback
