by George Furbank Some great stuff – the break for Lawrence’s try and his own clever score – but also an error or two. 8
Related: Goalkeeper Marcus Smith denies Ireland the Six Nations title as England beat England in a thriller
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso Great defensively and always looked to come off his wing. Couldn’t be free but not for lack of effort. A central role in the final passage of the play. 7
Henry Slade Performance about him and the mood was here. A beautiful dummy to give Feyi-Waboso the ball in space and he led the defensive line well. 8
Ollie Lawrence He tried well before someone else was properly rejected. Discipline needs to be improved but there is a threat of behavior. 7
Tommy Freeman He looked dangerous whenever England could find him in space for a naive minute or two. They will definitely learn from them. 7
George Ford When England clicked into gear it was often at the heart of it but a difficult day kicking goals. Under pressure from his place. 7
Alex Mitchell Welcome back to the side after injury and speed into the England attack. The jersey is his for the foreseeable future. 9
Ellis Genge Part of the front row was dominant and gave his most visible half carry under Steve Borthwick in the opening 40. 8
Jamie George (captain) A problem or two off the line but they did well and showed in the loose well. He is highly praised for England’s remarkable improvement. 7
Dan Cole Ireland complained to the referee about his scrummaging, which he can take as a compliment. In the wars only soldiers on. 7
Maro Itoje Impact grows so often in big games like this and once again he made his presence felt in the final quarter. 8
George Martin strength of England. He drew first blood in the battle with McCarthy with a big tackle, then walloped Beirne at half-time and made sure he knew about it. 9
Ollie Chessum Tired track for Aki to make contact and he did his job in the line well. Developing into an integral part of this side. 8
Sam Underhill A strong carry and offload to create space for Furbank’s effort and some typically tough tackling. He emptied the tank before you made way on time. 8
Ben Earl Another sterling performance. Showed beautiful footwork every now and then and he tried well. England’s stand out operator. 9
Replacements Theo Dan (for George, 54) 7; Joe Marler (for Genge, 54) 7; Will Stuart (for Cole, 54) 6; Chandler Cunningham-South (for Underhill, 61) 7; Alex Dombrandt (for Chessum, 66) 6; Danny Care (for Mitchell, 66) 6; Marcus Smith (for Ford, 58) 8; Elliot Daly (for Slade, 66)8
Ireland
Hugo Keenan Forced to the right wing after Nash’s withdrawal, he returned to full-back when Frawley left and amid the chop and change, struggled to make an impact. 6
Calvin Nash He was injured after six minutes when he took second best place in a huge collision with Freeman as he set up for Lawrence’s attempt. 5
Robbie Henshaw Good tackle on Slade to earn a scrum for Ireland but a fairly quiet game. Solid if not seen. 5
Bundee Aki He ran down the Ford channel at every opportunity and often made a yard. Deadly at the breakdown too. Excellent at the World Cup and has maintained that form. 8
James Lowe Left-handed forward Trusty was as effective as ever and after a quiet first half with ball in hand he took his two tries very well early in the second half. 8
Jack Crowley So composed for someone who is not so new to the international foundation. I wasn’t worried when England were on top and I delayed a delightful pass for Lowe’s try. 8
Jamison Gibson-Park Such a reliable performer in this well-oiled machine and seamlessly filled in on the wing when called upon. Killer pass for Lowe’s second try. 7
Andrew Porter Admittedly a silly penalty ruined a promising job and hit his game in Cole at a scrum but he keeps pushing back. 6
Dan Sheehan He stayed some wobbles line out and could not affect events around the world as he does so often. 5
Tadhg Furlong A quiet game by its high standards. He ran at Genge in imperious form and his impact could not be felt in a set piece or with the ball in hand. 5
Joseph MacCarthy He became famous and although he made good tackles and looked dangerous at times in the close quarter England got on well with him. 6
Tadhg Beirne Pinched England’s long line out and is always a threat. England did well to ensure that he was not the force he can be. 6
Peter O’Machán He was shown a yellow card for a cynical penalty and also struggled on the line out. A day to forget for the Ireland captain. 5
Josh van der Flier Make a good ground up the middle early and keep going like that. Excellent for rod making by touch. He also won major penalties at the breakdown. 8
Caelan Doris Excellent defensive work with England batting away in the first half and they had ground in Lowe’s try. However, it is not an unstoppable force of nature. 7
Replacements Rónan Kelleher (for Sheehan, 63) Sleeve rolled up 6; Cian Healy (for Porter, 72) n/a; Finlay Bealham (for Furlong, 62) n/b; Iain Henderson (for McCarthy, 62) 5 went on to struggle; Ryan Baird (for O’Mahony, 69) 6; Jack Conan (for Van der Flier, 63) b/w; Conor Murray (for Frawley, 50) 6; Kieran Frawley (for Nash, 6)6
