England too strong for Irish

By Mark Stevens
27/2/16

England made it a perfect three from three for new coach Eddie Jones as they saw off Ireland 21-10 in their latest RBS Six Nations Championship match at Twickenham.

Conor Murray's try had given the visitors a narrow lead early in the second half after England had dominated territory and possession but failed to convert it into points.

However, two tries in five minutes from winger Anthony Watson and full-back Mike Brown snatched back control for the hosts.

Although in control of the game, it took a last-gasp tackle from Exeter Chiefs star Jack Nowell to deny Robbie Henshaw from claiming a second Irish try after the break.

Whilst England remain top of the table with an unblemished record, Ireland have now failed to win any of their opening three matches and, with Wales next to visit Twickenham in a fortnight, talk will turn to a possible Grand Slam for the men in white.

Post-match, Jones (pictured right) felt the margin of victory could have been greater for his side, but was happy to maintain his 100 per cent winning record as England coach.

He said: "I think our performances have stepped up. We were facing a better team today and we probably left 10 to 15 points out there, as we couldn't always convert our attacking pressure.

"We weren't quite sharp enough and we were letting them get a hand in at crucial times."

Billy Vunipola once again excelled in the number eight role and was arguably England's best player on Saturday.

Jones added: "Vunipola was great. He just loves playing rugby. He loves the team environment and loves playing for England."