1
More to come from 'incredible' England – Schmidt
By Russell Greaves
Joe Schmidt warned that England still have more to offer after Ireland brought an end to their 18-match winning streak, denying Eddie Jones' men an outright world record.
Ireland coach Schmidt – whose side also beat New Zealand when the All Blacks were gunning for a 19th victory on the bounce – masterminded a 13-9 triumph over the Six Nations winners, thwarting England's bid for a second consecutive Grand Slam.
While the New Zealander naturally had praise for his side – particularly centre Garry Ringrose – he also lauded his beaten opponents at the end of a tense encounter amid the Dublin rain.
"All credit to England. They have been incredible for the last 18 months. They deserve to be the title holders and there is probably more to come from this England team," Schmidt told ITV Sport.
"It wasn't the day for style, but I thought we played really well in the first 20 minutes and deserved the lead we had.
What a finish! What a win! #IrevEng #RBS6Nations #SuperSaturday #TeamOfUs pic.twitter.com/26iRLcO9ZW
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 18, 2017
"Garry Ringrose was a revelation. He just keeps taking steps forward. That 20 minutes gave us enough confidence and from then on it was about staying in the match.
"Incredibly physical, but a little bit static. It showed courage is a massive part of any team performance."
The result lifted Ireland up to second in the final standings.
Trending on RugbyPass
2
Fissler Confidential: Radwan eyed to replace exit-bound England wing
3
Stormers hand Leinster second humbling in a row
4
'Helped me out': Danny Care's take on avoiding 'stonewall' sending off
5
Latest Comments
It might be legal but he’s sailing pretty close to the wind. Not a lot needs to go wrong for Finau to end up in the bin. Was it late? Not quite, but borderline. High? A couple of CM within the laws, no room for error with that one. Did he wrap the arms? There was a token effort to wrap one arm, the intent was clearly to hit with the shoulder. So yeah, it’s legal, just. But as we all know, a very slight change in the dynamics could easily have him seeing red. Hopefully not when it really matters.
Go to commentsYou forget this is Rassie Erasmus who is still holding the Springbok keys. Even with Felix Jones orchestrating a really tight RWC SF last year. It still wasn't enough to get England past their particular Springbok Monkey in world cups. The reason is FJ was going off of what they did in 2019 not necessarily adapting to current Springboks. So yes, Australia can get passed England because let's be honest, England have a one track strategy, Springboks do not. Even with rush defense I wouldn't be surprised if Rassie continually tweaks it. Also bear in mind Rassie is happy to sacrifice a few mid year and inter World Cup matches to pin point how opposition plays and how to again tweak strategies to get his Springboks in peak performance for the next World Cup. As much as most teams like to win games in front of them and try to win everything, Rassie always makes sure to learn and train for the greatest showdown International Rugby has to offer. Tbh, most people remember World Cup wins and ignore intermediate losses as a result but will remember also WC losses, Ireland, even if they won games in the interim. So even if games are won against the Springboks, it's likely Rassie is just getting a feel for how opposition is moving and adapt accordingly…in time. For Rassie, a loss is never a loss because he uses it as a chance to learn and improve. Sometimes during a game, again like the England match in last year's Semi Final.
Go to comments