Daly passes aerial test as inspired back three thrive under the pressure
ENGLAND’S back three stood up to the aerial barrage unleashed against them with courage and aplomb as they overwhelmed Ireland.
No-one is in any doubt of Elliot Daly’s attacking gifts and he played a key first-half role with a cool assist for Jonny May’s try and in setting up and then scoring England’s second after Jack Nowell harassed Jacob Stockdale into an error.
His full-back rival Mike Brown had been touted as the right horse for this Dublin course; an experienced organiser and recognised as peerless under the high ball.
Ireland, remember, reached for the sky 36 times in last year’s win at Twickenham and confounded accepted rugby logic by doing the same when they kept New Zealand tryless last November.
And they were defending an unbeaten Six Nations home run stretching back six years and 15 games to the last time England were triumphant here.
But apart from one second-half spill, Daly was much more convincing under pressure in defence and his two wings were simply outstanding.
Nowell was a key carrier, coming inside and looking for work, as well as covering intelligently as part of an assured unit.
May’s performance was equally out of the top drawer and his increasingly assured aerial skills — and his confidence to use them — enhanced his status as one of the top operators in the world game.
May made an error, the ball shooting through his legs near his own line, but he has the priceless asset of the pace to get himself out of trouble and
recovered neatly. He finished with a flourish, his left-footed kick opening up the space for the first of Henry Slade’s decisive late strikes.
Sometimes you do need a specialist in the key full-back role, though.
Irish boss Joe Schmidt had been eager to get his best players on the field, even through it meant switching Robbie Henshaw out of midfield and into the No 15 shirt.
Henshaw had made only one of his previous 36 appearances for Ireland at full back, last playing the position when he made his debut against the less-than-threatening USA.
Here he was caught out of position several times as Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs and Daly probed for space in the backfield. Meanwhile his wings, Keith Earls and Jacob Stockdale, were given an old-fashioned going over — sometimes illegally — by England’s chasers.
It was an area in which you wouldn’t have predicted an England advantage. Instead it was one which proved a key component in an outstanding performance.