It was a good win for Ireland. Here in Toronto the game was only available on pay per view, at a smattering of pubs. All were full by 30 minutes before kick off, so I ended up watching the game through the windows of the pub. Me and about 20 ex-pat Irishmen, trying to stay warm on a cold Toronto winter morning (it was about minus 7, but sunny).

Memo to self: get to the bloody pub earlier next time!

We did not look like a potential Grand Slam winning side. But a win is a win. Especially against England. Yesssssssss!

Was at the game in the North Terrace.

Great display by the Irish and great defence also.

Roll on France.

A hard fought game and for once the luck ran with us - that is what championship winning sides need as much as determination and tactics. Certainly the English could have had a try, but how many points did we miss with the boot.

We won, despite some dubious English play to disrupt the back line throughout the match - there was clearly a *Get O'Geara* order out.

For me the best of all was that my daughter sat through a game for the first time and was screaming at the TV when O'Driscoll scored. She also now understands the off-side rule!

On RTE, wasn't Henry awful pally with that Englishman?

Not one to stick up for the English (especially their Rugby team) but Ireland had 16 in their team maybe even 18 if you count the touch judges. Very poor refereeing. Look out for France though, play like that against them and you're toast!!! C'MON WALES!!!!!!!!!

DessertSpoon - the ref and assistants didn't have a great game, but it cut both ways - e.g. the American Football-style block on O'Gara which opened up the gap for England's try. I can also think of two blatant English forward passes he let go, three separate incidents of obstruction right in front of his eyes, and a collapsed maul after which he awarded England a scrum!

Cueto lives offside on almost all of the cross-kicks, and it was very hard to tell on the replay. It looked OK to me, I must say, but if you play that tactic a lot, you have to accept you'll be called up occasionally for borderline cases.

As for the pushover, Lewsey got over the line, but his back was turned, and O'Connor got his body in. I don't understand why the decision was a scrum to Ireland though - it should probably have been an attacking scrum.

I agree Lafcadio,

The ref (and linesmen) had a bad game and should certainly have gone to the video ref for the 1st disallowed try and probably the second. But he made bad decisions on both sides as you mentioned.
The ref might have been trying to compensate for the English try with later decisions as O'Gara (definitely part of the game plan) was taken out of the game for the English try.

It depends on which French team turns up in two weeks time and then the possibility of the mouth watering prospect of meeting the Welsh for a grand slam decider in Cardiff!

smcgiff

The ref (and linesmen) had a bad game and should certainly have gone to the video ref for the 1st disallowed try and probably the second.

He didn't "go upstairs" for the first one, simply because the Television Match Official can only adjudicate in certain circumstances, and this wasn't one of them.

For the second one, the ref probably had the best view of anyone, better than the TMO and certainly better than Andy Robinson.

There is an in-depth analysis of the decisions on Planet Rugby that's well worth a look.

Those who watched BBC's coverage will have got particular pleasure from listening to former England hooker Brian Moore spending the last 20 minutes of the match whingeing about how they were robbed. Hilariously funny!

It's so sweet. They didn't shut up after they won TWC... and were so insistent they weren't a one man team. Remember the talk about it hardly being worth their while playing Northern Hemisphere sides ?

'He didn't "go upstairs" for the first one, simply because the Television Match Official can only adjudicate in certain circumstances, and this wasn't one of them.'

You're probably right Gerry!

The video ref can only adjudicate on whether a ball has been touched down for a try so the Cueto incident couldn't have been looked at upstairs as it was a simple case of whether he was in front of the ball when it was kicked.

The ref adjudged he was offside.

Ireland did just enough against an average England team.

I've given up on the BBC Rugby altogether, they insist on seeing everything through English eyes and talking the merest pass into a ballet.

I've swopped to RTE instead and the comentary has been good (although there were some racist comments during the World Cup about players' hair). Now, if they could get rid of Henry . . .

Alan

I find the studio stuff with Tom McGurk, Brent Pope and George Hook very entertaining, but I think the commentators are dreadful. If Ireland are having a bad spell, then according to Ryle Nugent and Tony Ward, the world may as well just come to an end. They frequently get things wrong as well.

Then you have George Hamilton, whose deft use of the cliché should, by rights, have landed him a job with Sky by now.

Michael Corcoran on RTÉ Radio is the best of the lot. He never puts a foot wrong and is obviously passionate about the game.

Who's Henry?

Glad to see I'm not the only fan of Hook! A genuinely funny man.

England for the RWC were a two man team,Wilkinson and Johnson,I was not impressed by any english players except for Lewis Moody who looks the real deal,Jason Robinson must be the most over-rated player in the world,he ran the ball back from kicks a massive total of ONCE yesterday.What is clear to be seen though is the gradual demise of that warrior Anthony Foley,i was shocked how quiet he was..it makes me sad to say,but id imagine after the 6 Nations are over,the Number 8 position will go to Eric Miller or Ulsters own Roger Wilson,What else can be said,We must now be among the top three in the world,it really is just a pity the RWC wasnt on this year,or we would walk it. :(

COME ON FRANCE..... KNOCK IT INTO THE DAFT LEPRECHAUNIC NATION

You know, Mr D.. I'm very tempted to issue a card for that comment.. ;)

I'm pretty annoyed with the BBC's English bias in reporting on this match. It's not just the inconsistency between Brian Moore's blase acceptance of English obstruction leading to English tries and his fury at Irish obstruction which he said deserved penalties, and his willingness to embrace dodgy refereeing decisions as long as they went in favour of his team.

Eddie Butler was little better, as was the BBC website, which conveniently forgets how a gap was created in the Irish line by O'Gara being taken out. No, instead Ireland's defence was simply absent.

That sort of Commentary has been an English tradition ... Biased Billy used to drive me nuts LOL

Tony Blair - get it right up you squire !

England for the RWC were a two man team,Wilkinson and Johnson

I'm not usually one to defend England, Cavan Man, but were you watching the same World Cup as me? Remember the high hopes we had of winning the Grand Slam in 2003 before England ripped us apart at Lansdwone with one of the most complete displays of rugby I've ever witnessed? The England World Cup winning squad of 2003 were one of the best rugby teams I've ever seen. We've beaten the buggers back to back since then, so there's no need for the childish sour grapes.

I'm pretty annoyed with the BBC's English bias in reporting on this match.

I loved it. It just made the gloating afterwards even more fun.

YF- I think the media can be accused of hyping individuals within teams, especially the English Media in repect of their Cricket, Soccer and Rugby teams. Hell of a strain on the individual - be it Botham,Flintoff, Gough, Beckham, Shearer,Lineker etc etc.

England 'planning complaint against Lansdowne referee'

I saw that Davros - Robinson is really shedding his last remaining shreds of dignity!

What does he think he's going to achieve? A re-match?? The record books to have a footnote inserted saying "England wuz robbed" after 19-13..

Nope, it's pretty clear he's doing this to try to hold onto his job post 6N..

Humble in victory, gracious in defeat.
It was our day, we defended well and had some needed luck. We shouldn't gloat ... arse ... L-O-S-E-R-S!

To the Tune of "Loving You" - Marc Et Claude

Lo lo lo lo lo, lo lo lo lo lo,
lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lolo loooosseeerrrrrrss Ooohhhhh!

It's not for me to advise England, but they would be better employed concentrating on the remaining two matches instead of whingeing about the last one. The wooden spoon is till up for grabs and Italy can be be a handful when they want to be. Having said that, Ireland need to forget it and move on sharpish as well. The best of our opponents are still out there.