No Final Flourish As Ireland End Championship With Third Defeat

Ireland lost to England for the first time since 2003 as tries from Paul Sackey, Mathew Tait and Jamie Noon, allied to an impressive display from 18-point out-half Danny Cipriani, saw Eddie O’Sullivan’s side overpowered at Twickenham.

2008 RBS SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, March 15

ENGLAND 33 IRELAND 10, Twickenham

Scorers: England: Tries: Paul Sackey, Mathew Tait, Jamie Noon; Cons: Danny Cipriani 3; Pens: Danny Cipriani 4

Ireland: Try: Rob Kearney; Con: Ronan O’Gara; Pen: Ronan O’Gara

Full report to follow…

TIME LINE: 4 minutes – Ireland try: Rob Kearney – 0-5; conversion: Ronan O’Gara – 0-7; 7 mins – Ireland penalty: Ronan O’Gara – 0-10; 12 mins – England penalty: Danny Cipriani – 3-10; 19 mins – England try: Paul Sackey – 8-10; conversion: Danny Cipriani – 10-10; 30 mins – England penalty: Danny Cipriani – 13-10; Half-time – England 13 Ireland 10; 45 mins – England penalty: Danny Cipriani – 16-10; 50 mins – Ireland penalty: missed by Ronan O’Gara – 16-10; 57 mins – England try: Mathew Tait – 21-10; conversion: Danny Cipriani – 23-10; 69 mins – England try: Jamie Noon – 28-10; conversion: Danny Cipriani – 30-10; 74 mins – England penalty: Danny Cipriani – 33-10; Full-time – England 33 Ireland 10

ENGLAND: Iain Balshaw; Paul Sackey, Jamie Noon, Toby Flood, Lesley Vainikolo; Danny Cipriani, Richard Wigglesworth; Andrew Sheridan, Lee Mears, Phil Vickery (capt), Simon Shaw, Steve Borthwick, Tom Croft, Michael Lipman, Nick Easter.

Replacements used: Mathew Tait for Sackey (48-58 mins, blood sub), Jonny Wilkinson for Flood (53), Matt Stevens for Vickery, Ben Kay for Shaw (both 61), James Haskell for Lipman, Mathew Tait for Sackey (both 65), Paul Hodgson for Wigglesworth (75), George Chuter for Mears (76). 

IRELAND: Geordan Murphy; Tommy Bowe, Andrew Trimble, Shane Horgan, Rob Kearney; Ronan O’Gara (capt), Eoin Reddan; Marcus Horan, Rory Best, John Hayes, Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell, Denis Leamy, David Wallace, Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements used: Simon Easterby for Leamy (12 mins), Luke Fitzgerald for Murphy (35), Tony Buckley for Horan, Mick O’Driscoll for Wallace (both 67), Bernard Jackman for Best, Peter Stringer for Reddan (both 71), Paddy Wallace for Horgan (77).

Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)