Ireland's experience decisive, claims England coach Borthwick
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England head coach Steve Borthwick believes Ireland's "experience told" on Saturday as his side let a half-time lead slip to lose their Six Nations opener at the Aviva Stadium.
Cadan Murley scored a debut try to get England off to a flying start, but Ireland rallied after the break, with Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne and Dan Sheehan crossing to seal a 27-22 win.
Tom Curry and Tommy Freeman restored some late pride for England, with their tries enough to secure a bonus point in defeat.
It was the first time England had led at half-time in a Six Nations game since round three of the 2023 Championship, while it was the first time Ireland had come from behind to beat them since the 1983 Five Nations.
Borthwick was proud of his team's performance, and believes Ireland's experience was the difference.
"Immense credit to Ireland. They are such an experienced team. It was a tough Test match in that third quarter, and I thought they did really well," Borthwick said.
"That was the critical period and that allowed them to get scoreboard pressure. I am very proud of how our players attacked the game in the first half and came back at the end to score a few tries to get the bonus point.
"The team, against one of the best attacking sides in the world, have improved defensively.
"We are looking forward to being back at Twickenham next week in front of our supporters. You are starting to see a team who are learning how to really move the ball and develop our attack.
"Ireland are a world-class team and have been for a long time. They have been in the top four consistently. That experience told in the third quarter."
Thank you, @IrishRugby 🤝@o2 | #WearTheRose pic.twitter.com/Y2fUQrY7l6
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 1, 2025
Ireland, meanwhile, have now won 19 of their 26 round-one fixtures in the Six Nations, boasting a 73% win rate in their opening fixtures, the highest of any team in the Championship.
They are also the only team to have won at least half of their games against England since Italy joined the tournament in 2000 (P26 W15 L11).
Ireland captain Caelan Doris was delighted to get off the mark with a win as they chase a third consecutive title.
"It is definitely satisfying [getting the win]. It's huge in this competition. You can't win it in the first round, but you can lose it or dampen it essentially.
"I think we showed what we are capable of at times. It was a good 10 days leading up to this and there is a strong belief in the plan we have within our attack.
"As we get deeper into the tournament it's going to be something we need to get stronger with, and we need to develop.
"[In the second half] we needed to get back to doing things our way. [There was] a feeling at the end of the first half that we thought we were going to break them and when we were getting into their 22 and score zone, things were going to happen for us."
