England coaches react to Ireland: 'We crushed their lineout...their attack went nowhere'

On Saturday in Round 3 of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, in front of a record Irish crowd, journalists in the stands at Musgrave Park were frantically Googling to find the last time England had gone into half-time of a Test match behind on the score board.

So rare it is that the Red Roses are not firmly in control of a match heading into the half-time sheds, Ireland it is fair to say, had absolutely rattled them.

A maul try from Morwenna Talling on the 34th minute meant England went into the second half 5-7 ahead, and regardless of the high scoring second half from England, the team had been tested in a way no side has managed for a very long time.

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

England Head Coach John Mitchell commented on his side’s performance: “I thought the second half was outstanding. The girls are really good at resolving issues.

“They remained really calm and as much as Ireland tackled really well in the first half, we probably put ourselves into the washing machine, hence the reason it required a little bit of adjustment at half-time.”

And whatever was said in the changing rooms ahead of the second 40 was more than enough, with the coach highlighting England’s strong set piece, which ultimately provided the platform for the convincing 49-5 win.

“We crushed their lineout, their lineout went nowhere. Their attack went nowhere in the second half. I think they only got out of their half through kicks, so we were pretty ruthless. There were a couple of teams tries – (Meg) Jones and one of (Sarah) Bern’s – they were beautiful tries.”

After the match England attack coach Lou Meadows, speaking to BBC Sport said: “We actually really enjoyed that test. We needed that and it’s good for the game to have a first half like that. It was about fixing it and we knew we had good set-piece.

“The girls were really calm and came out and finished the job. You have to keep it really simple, so we thought ‘let’s clear it up’, and we did.”

The Red Roses march on undefeated and will face Scotland at Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium in Leicester for the penultimate round of the Championship this Saturday.