Ireland Fall To England In Six Nations Opener

Ireland's defence of their Six Nations Grand Slam got off to a rough start on Saturday as England secured a 32-20 win at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Following their victory last year, spirits were high in the hope of further success but the 12-point margin of England's victory demonstrated that they will need to do it the hard way.

Jonny May's try after only two minutes set a very different tone and Joe Schmidt's side stayed on the ropes as the first period wore on.

A further try from Elliot Daly wrestled the lead from the host team just moments after it had been claimed for the first time, and England continued to lay siege on Rory Best and his men.

Scrum-half John Cooney said the defeat stemmed from the manic start to the game which rocked the team's pace.

"When you don't start well and you're seven points down after a minute and a half it's not ideal," he said.

"I think that will probably be one of our emphasises in training, to start well, because it makes a huge difference when you've got tempo early on."

Head coach Joe Schmidt also admitted that his side paid the price for a sluggish start which led to Ireland's first Six Nations defeat at home during his time in charge.



(JG/CM)