Woodward Believed This Was Their Year.
“England’s experience showed today. We have a very devoted team. It’s team that we have been building on for the past two years. I believed this was our year and it showed today.”
A clearly delighted Clive Woodward speaking at the post match press conference said, “England’s experience showed today. We have a very devoted team. It is a team that we have been building on for the past two years. I believed this was our year and it showed today.”
Commenting on the way that they played today he said.
“I was delighted with the way we responded to the Irish play. There is a lot of will in our players. They are a great group and they kept it strong all day.”
Irish coach Eddie OSullivan took the team into a huddle after the final whistle and had this to say. “I wanted to tell them that yes, we had every right to be disappointed but that I was proud of the way that we played today. We gave it everything for the 85 minutes that it took out there and were beaten by the better team on the day. I told them to keep their heads high, stick their chests out because they gave it their all. I could ask no more.”
The score today did not reflect the Irish perfomance according to O’ Sullivan. “I think that we stayed with them for well for the first half, especially in the second quarter. We couldn’t get over the line and they tagged on a drop goal on the stroke of half time. I suppose Tindall’s try was the stake in the heart for the Irish boys but at the end of the day, I don’t think that the score reflected the game.”
Commenting on team tactics: “We were running at them instead of kicking. In a game like today you only get a few chances and you have to keep plugging away.”
Captain, Brian O’ Driscoll felt it was the toughest game so far in the competition: “The game was end to end and we were struggling for our second wind in the first half as the tempo was so fast. It’s probably the fastest game that I have played so far in the Six Nations.”
He commended the English defence: “Against a team like England, you don’t expect to get through so we tried to get around them. Their scramble defence was fantastic, they have great strength.”
He did not think that there was any carry over from last week. “I don’t think it made any difference. We gave it all against England, and their position as the Number One side in the world came out today.”
However, he is looking forward to the summer tour and to starting all over again. O’ Sullivan is also looking to the future.
“If you had told me last August that we would win ten out of eleven games this year, I would have been delighted. We have a summer tour coming up and will take the next step in due course.”