England

England's courageous attempt to overcome the red card shown to Charlie Ewels just seconds into a compelling Guinness Six Nations title clash fell ...

But when given the opportunity to accelerate the tempo they were irrepressible and even in the face of heroic home defence, a second try was added as Jamison Gibson-Park took a quick tap and sent Hugo Keenan over. Until Jamie George knocked on at the back of a dangerously-positioned maul, the home side had defied the odds to seize control with their pack making an impact in all departments. The scrum emerged as their greatest weapon, producing six penalties on a traumatising afternoon for the Irish set-piece and enabling Marcus Smith to keep his side in contention from the kicking tee.

PAUL NEWMAN IN ANTIGUA: This game seemed to be going nowhere after four low-key days on the sort of dreadfully slow, flat pitch that really should be ...

But it was to prove England's last hope as Holder and Bonner held firm. What has never been in doubt is the quality of Root and now he set more records with his 24th Test century, moving above Kevin Pietersen, and his 13th as captain, one more than Alastair Cook's previous best tally. But for now at least they provided something else to talk about. This could just be the day when England's red-ball reset began to take shape. If the hosts had lost the giant Holder then, with West Indies on 89 for four, who knows what might have happened. It was not quite a famous victory after the misery of the Ashes but England and their under-pressure captain showed enterprise, belief and positivity to get as close as they possibly could to a shock last-day first Test triumph.

Carlos Brathwaite believes England's refusal to shake hands on an early draw in the first Test should give West Indies extra incentive to go on and win the ...

But I think they took it a bit too far, personally." We'll keep throwing everything into each and every game like we did this week." "If West Indies need any sort of steely determination added, I think that passage of play should have given them that.

Johnny Sexton has backed England to "do some real damage" against Grand Slam-chasing France and assist Ireland's quest for Guinness Six Nations glory.

"He's a great player and he's got a huge career ahead of him." "We've got a chance to win a Triple Crown at home, in the Aviva. We've very rarely had a chance to play for something in the Aviva in front of our home crowd. "And I think England could go and do some real damage to France next week."

Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder ensured the West Indies batted out day five.

Similar news for the next two games in Barbados and Grenada may well follow along with a call-up for Warwickshire’s Liam Norwell. He survived a big lbw appeal from Leach in the 49th over, with England’s quick huddle reluctantly choosing not to use their final review. The dash for quick runs sped the game up considerably, Root losing his leg stump to Alzarri Joseph and Dan Lawrence carting Holder for six in a lively 37. Unfortunately for England, there was no shortage of resolve from the fifth-wicket pair. Ben Stokes, effectively filling in for Wood despite his own precarious fitness issues, trapped Kraigg Brathwaite (33) with a shin-high shooter before Jack Leach conjured three quick breakthroughs. But it was his proactive leadership that did most to add some intrigue.

Over the course of five days, on a largely lifeless surface, the players had given their all. And in the end, West Indies had the cool heads of Nkrumah Bonner ( ...

A more diligent approach followed from Bonner and Holder, however, hunkering down for the second time in the match. But once the calm heads of Woakes and Bairstow had set up a satisfactory equation for their captain, it was over to Root’s bowlers to see if they could somehow force a positive result. He was also celebrating his 13th hundred as captain – surpassing the previous England record of 12 made by predecessor Alastair Cook – and a first since the end of last summer. When the England captain instead used this for a caught behind off Holder four overs later and snicko showed no spike, further agony followed. England were certainly in the ascendancy when Bonner and Holder came together after tea and West Indies had slipped to 67 for four. Things had looked fairly benign out in the middle when Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell put on a 59-run partnership for the first wicket.

Eddie Jones believes England's performance with 14 men in defeat by Ireland could be the makings of their 2023 World Cup campaign.

“[I’m] over the moon,” said Farrell. “If you’d said that to us before the start we’d have snatched your hand off. If World Rugby want to have a scrum in the game they’ve got to allow strong scrums to allow themselves to dominate so we’re disappointed we didn’t get more out of it.” We want to be an old-fashioned England pack and a new-fashioned England attack. It’s a genuine attempt to make a good tackle, he just got his head in the wrong spot. The brave manner of their defeat, however, means the inquest is on hold for now with Maro Itoje, Ellis Genge and Nowell all standout performers despite Ireland eventually claiming their biggest ever win at Twickenham. Despite losing Ewels, England were level at 15-15 with 15 minutes to go before a Johnny Sexton penalty and late tries from Jack Conan and Finlay Bealham finally broke their resistance.

Ireland took full advantage of a red card for England lock Charlie Ewels after less than two minutes of Saturday's Six Nations encounter at Twickenham to ...

England came out full of energy after the break, regularly demolishing the Ireland scrum and hitting rucks with renewed force. Ireland have 16 points and could still take their first title since 2018 with victory or possibly even a draw against Scotland in Dublin if England can upset France in the final game of the championship. England came through to win that game but an in-form Ireland was a different proposition.

Ewels was sent off in the second minute for England, Scotland got the bonus-point win over Italy, but there was renewed scrutiny on head injury protocols ...

Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams appeared to suffer a loss of balance and control of one of his arms, after making a challenge in the lead-up to France’s first try in the ninth minute. And with the guidelines met, the No.9 was immediately subbed off with no possible return. French line-out woes and a brilliant performance from Wales No.8 Taulupe Faletau had kept the gap between the teams to 13-9 going into the closing stages. But it left England playing a man short for 78 minutes, with all the obvious domino effects, including wing Jack Nowell having to double as an openside flanker in the scrums. Biggar said: “I thought we were the better team for large periods of the game. The question was whether the red card was too harsh a punishment for an accidental act – or was Ewels, clearly distraught as he walked slowly off the pitch, fully deserving of having his afternoon ended early? Then another distressing episode unfolded with a different and unarguably correct outcome. There was little debate about the challenge meeting the criteria for a foul-play red card as laid out in World Rugby’s head contact framework. Then an attacking England line-out near the opposition’ 22 was pinched by the green jerseys. They even dreamed briefly of victory when Marcus Smith’s fifth penalty goal made the scoreline 15-15 with an hour played. It’s something that I think is under-coached.” After Charlie Ewels’ red card just 82 seconds in, James Lowe immediately duly exploited the space with the hosts down to 14 to score one of four Irish tries.

After setting up an intriguing target of 286 in 71 overs, England had their opponents 67 for four before Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder shut up shop. With no ...

Similar news for the next two games in Barbados and Grenada may well follow along with a call-up for Warwickshire’s Liam Norwell. He survived a big lbw appeal from Leach in the 49th over, with England’s quick huddle reluctantly choosing not to use their final review. The dash for quick runs sped the game up considerably, Root losing his leg stump to Alzarri Joseph and Dan Lawrence carting Holder for six in a lively 37. Unfortunately for England, there was no shortage of resolve from the fifth-wicket pair. Ben Stokes, effectively filling in for Wood despite his own precarious fitness issues, trapped Kraigg Brathwaite (33) with a shin-high shooter before Jack Leach conjured three quick breakthroughs. But it was his proactive leadership that did most to add some intrigue.

Root scored 109 to go second on the country's all-time list behind his predecessor Sir Alastair Cook before calling his side in at 349 for six just before lunch ...

Root’s desire to get the hosts back in before lunch came as something of a surprise but there was no drama in four hurried overs. It had been given to him by his children before he flew out, in return for a promise to wear it at the crease. But after an opening stand of 25 overs, England took three wickets for six runs to give themselves a fighting chance of victory.

Eddie Jones was proud of his players as England fell to a heroic defeat at Twickenham but was frustrated by the failure of referee Mathieu Raynal to ...

We got four scrum penalties and there was no sign of a yellow card,” Jones said. “We showed great spirit and great tactical discipline. That would be my only complaint – we were not allowed to play advantage away from the scrum.

In Antigua it was Root pressing for victory, declaring 285 ahead after following Jonny Bairstow and Zak Crawley to a century. Hunting 10 wickets on a pitch that ...

“He was incredible throughout the whole game. It might have paid off had Mark Wood been fit to add an extra element of pace to the bowling group , but his worrying elbow injury denied the tourists their most ferocious option. We’re very buoyant, we created pressure in the field. “We want to win Test matches. “I really hope the guys gain so much confidence from this. “I’m really proud of this team.

Andy Farrell was gracious in victory on Saturday night, the Ireland coach paying compliment to one particular aspect of play by England.

This is what happens in Test rugby, you are under pressure in all of the different areas and congratulations to England, at times set-piece wise they put us under the cosh.” “The pressure they put on everyone at lineout time is there for everyone to see. Andy Farrell was gracious in victory at Twickenham on Saturday night, the Ireland coach paying compliment to one particular aspect of play by England even though Eddie Jones’ team were ultimately defeated by 17 points in a contest that ended with a four-zero try count.

Root scored 109 to go second on the country's all-time list behind his predecessor Sir Alastair Cook before calling his side in at 349 for six just before lunch ...

Root’s desire to get the hosts back in before lunch came as something of a surprise but there was no drama in four hurried overs. It had been given to him by his children before he flew out, in return for a promise to wear it at the crease. But after an opening stand of 25 overs, England took three wickets for six runs to give themselves a fighting chance of victory.

Ireland clinched a bonus point win over 14-man hosts at Twickenham to remain in contention for the Six Nations title.

The place almost erupted when it momentarily looked as if Sexton’s long pass had been picked off by Steward for a potentially game-changing interception try. Given Itoje was sick during the week, it was one of his more colossal efforts. It is not every day that England lose a massive home game by a record margin and still feel a quiet pride at the final whistle. Here, too, was another reminder of why England had won 22 of their previous 25 Six Nations games in their own steepling backyard. Top-level sport is about retaining composure and Ewels, on this occasion, conspicuously failed the test when he clattered James Ryan with the game barely begun. What might have unfolded had the Bath lock Charlie Ewels not been shown a red card after just 82 seconds is a legitimate debate but there were also moments when a raucous home crowd dared to believe a rugby miracle might just be possible.

The try came from a quick tap from Jamison Gibson-Park, who put Hugo Keenan in for the try. However, fans have complained that referee Mathieu Raynal should ...

3. Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster) 55 10. Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) (capt) 103 15. Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster) 18 23. Elliot Daly (Saracens, 55 caps) 2. Jamie George (Saracens, 64 caps) (VC) 17. Joe Marler (Harlequins, 77 caps) 7. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 39 caps) (VC) 6. Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, 91 caps) (C) 12. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 46 caps) (VC) However, fans have complained that referee Mathieu Raynal should have stopped the game as prop Kyle Sinckler was down with a head injury. 10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 8 caps) 13. Joe Marchant (Harlequins, 10 caps)

Q. uite how England would have fared with 15 players is anyone's guess. But the 14 of this new-look team who remained after Charlie Ewels' 82-second red card ...

It almost seemed inevitable that another try would come and so it did as another replacement, Finlay Bealham, added a try for a scoreline which flattered Ireland and did not really tell the whole story. In the end, it wasn’t quite enough but a win that had first looked impossible, then improbable and finally infinitely possible going into the final quarter eventually evaded England in the dying minutes. The lead, though, was short-lived as Sexton scored Ireland’s first points of the second half with 15 minutes remaining and, with nine minutes on the clock, England’s resolve finally cracked with a third Irish try from Jack Conan.

England's courageous attempt to overcome the red card shown to Charlie Ewels just seconds into a compelling Guinness Six Nations title clash fell ...

But when given the opportunity to accelerate the tempo they were irrepressible and even in the face of heroic home defence, a second try was added as Jamison Gibson-Park took a quick tap and sent Hugo Keenan over. Until Jamie George knocked on at the back of a dangerously-positioned maul, the home side had defied the odds to seize control with their pack making an impact in all departments. The scrum emerged as their greatest weapon, producing six penalties on a traumatising afternoon for the Irish set-piece and enabling Marcus Smith to keep his side in contention from the kicking tee.

Eddie Jones hailed 14-man England's performance against Ireland as their foundation game for next year's World Cup.

He said: “Two years ago, we would have lost that game. We want an old-fashioned pack and be new fashioned in the way we attack. We never gave up. “I see that as a foundation game for us where we set out our campaign for the World Cup in 2023,” he said. “The pack is only going to get better and better. And Jones said: “We got to 15-all with 15 to go, we’re controlling the game.

England 15-32 Ireland: Ewels sent off after just 82 seconds at Twickenham but England battled hard and only lost in final 10 minutes.

Heading into Super Saturday, France top the standings on 18 points after winning their first four games. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. But when given the opportunity to accelerate the tempo they were irrepressible and even in the face of heroic home defence, a second try was added as Jamison Gibson-Park took a quick tap and sent Hugo Keenan over.

Eddie Jones was proud of his players as England fell to a heroic defeat at Twickenham but was frustrated by the failure of referee Mathieu Raynal to ...

We got four scrum penalties and there was no sign of a yellow card,” Jones said. “We showed great spirit and great tactical discipline. That would be my only complaint – we were not allowed to play advantage away from the scrum.

England forward Charlie Ewels was sent off after just 82 seconds in their Six Nations international against Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday.

Charlie Ewels' moment of madness changed the face of the England v Ireland match after little more than a minute.

So I have no option, I will go with a red card.” "There's no malice, Ewels isn't a dirty player, but at the end of the day it's a red card. A bloodied Ryan had to leave the field after the incident and was not to return. "At the end of the day, James Ryan is off and he's off for the whole game. “It’s very unfortunate, the crowd don’t like it, but the way the game is refereed, there was no mitigation in the eyes of the referee. “I think Mathieu Raynal made it very clear he had no option but to give a red card,” he said.

Rob Kitson was our man at this tumultuous match and you can read his full report here. Ireland beat England to stay in Six Nations title hunt after Ewels' ...

Last minute bugs-going-around news aside; Joe Marchant is in outside centre, Elliot Daly takes a seat on the bench. Jamie Blamire and Joe Launchbury also return to the matchday squad, both on the bench. In the pack, Jamie George starts at hooker while Sam Simmonds starts at No 8 ahead of bench-bound Alex Dombrandt. Can’t help but feel this is the proper ‘international arrival’ opportunity to Simmonds, but will he take it?

Over-by-over report: Join our writers for updates on the final day's play at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

49th over: West Indies 89-4 (Bonner 9, Holder 13) Leach sends down a maiden but there is a huge appeal off the last ball! England have a lot of men around the bat, Root is on the attack and this game is alive. Bonner does break character thought to have a big swipe across to leg, he misses but the ball was sliding down past the stumps. 39th over: West Indies 72-4 (Bonner 1, Holder 4) Leach, pate glistening in the late evening sun, sends down another maiden. 51st over: West Indies 99-4 (Bonner 11, Holder 21) Eight runs come off Leach’s latest to just release the pressure valve a smidge. Just a single to Holder off the over. 60th over: West Indies 121-4 (Bonner 25, Holder 25) Stokes sends down a maiden. 64th over: West Indies 134-4 (Bonner 30, Holder 32) Jeeeeez, Ben Stokes pulls up lame and doesn’t deliver the ball at the very end of his action. Holder whips him away for a boundary and picks up a couple of twos into the leg side. 66th over: West Indies 138-4 (Bonner 34, Holder 32) Steve Harmison is having a full pride of kittens on commentary as Root throws the ball to Stokes AGAIN! Madness if you ask me. Zak, off a lean year, showed a lot of character to stand up, he’s one of the senior batters now, it was important for him to play an innings like that for himself.” He set the example in the first innings and today he came again and showed his worth.

England and Ireland both need to win in south-west London to keep their respective slim championship hopes alive after a defeat each in 2022 so far.

The Saracens lock was everywhere. MARO ITOJE: Led English resistance on both sides of the ball. CAELAN DORIS: A class act and a fine sight when in full flow. Soaked in his surroundings as he exited Twickenham for probably the last time. JOHNNY SEXTON: Not his finest game in the green jersey. GARRY RINGROSE: Made a couple of sharp breaks and put in his share of tackles. We want an old-fashioned pack and be new fashioned in the way we attack. “I see that as a foundation game for us where we set out our campaign for the World Cup in 2023,” Jones said. “Charlie is disappointed but no-one apportions blame on him. We are disappointed we didn’t get more out of that.” We got four scrum penalties and there was no sign of a yellow card. "We talked during the week about finding a way to get our supporters singing towards the end and we did that.

England versus Ireland is a fixture has encapsulated where each team was at in their levels of performance which for the past four years. In 2019, an Ireland ...

All in all, I’m sure that England versus Ireland will continue to set a marker for the development of each team, both of whom lie at different stages of a rebuilding cycle. England offer a mostly unchanged side from their fixture against Wales. Dombrandt has been relegated to the bench by Covid-19, but it’s hard to argue that Simmonds is much of a downgrade. With a loss to Scotland and a win against Wales which almost ran away from England, Eddie Jones and new captain Courtney Lawes are still searching for a dominant win this year to demonstrate that the autumn’s rebuild is yielding convincing successes. Suffice to say, Ireland have gradually grown to become contenders for this year’s Championship, and the World Cup in 2023. The following year, England, still maintaining the last of their 2019 form, physically bullied a rebuilding Ireland to a 18-7 victory. England versus Ireland is a fixture has encapsulated where each team was at in their levels of performance which for the past four years.

Six Nations 2022 live updates as England and Ireland battle to stay in the tournament title hunt at Twickenham.

They were under the pump at scrum time, but Mathieu Raynal was content with a warning. It is an incredibly tough place to come, and when you come here, you have to play your best. We got four [six] scrum penalties and we didn’t get a yellow card. You are never going to come here and have an easy game. “We lost a few territory battles which hurt us a bit, and swung the momentum. We’d have snapped your hand off for five points before the game. We are disappointed we didn’t get more out of that.” We wanted to disrupt them and we did that. “I’m a bit disappointed the referee didn’t allow us to scrum fully. We can be proud of what we did.” There was about 15 to go, 15-all, we are controlling the game, and we just made a couple of mistakes that allowed them into the game. France top the standings on 18 points after winning their first four games.

Charlie Ewels' red card after 82 seconds spelt the end of England's Six Nations title hopes but they may have regained something even more important in this ...

England move the ball from side to side on the edge of the Irish 22. England are going to the corner! Ireland keep the ball, and play off the top. Smith hangs the ball to the left, and Nowell takes it, leaping into the air. England have space to the left but Malins butchers it, the ball falling to ground and then into Irish hands. England kick to touch and win their line-out, driving the maul on. Ireland try to form a maul at the line-out but the lifters get penalised for blocking. Smith sends it high, Keenan takes it well but England win the penalty at the breakdown. Murray is on for Ireland to close out the game. The scrum is completed and Murray hoofs it off the pitch. But England kept their heads and started to dominate up front as the Irish ghosts of 2012 started swirling around Twickenham. A pair of Smith penalties brought England to within two points. Yet even with a numerical disadvantage for 78 minutes, England took the fight to Ireland in a manner that turned Twickenham into a bearpit.

England gave themselves the outside chance of an unlikely victory when they picked up a third wicket with the last ball before tea on the final day of the ...

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England will look to defy a placid pitch and push for victory in the first Test against the West Indies after a long-awaited century from Zak Crawley ...

The West Indies have never lost to England in this corner of the Caribbean, a record dating back more than four decades and two different grounds. With runs on the board he should be able to bowl with aggressive fields and with attacking lines. The official word from the England camp is more equivocal, suggesting he is “working towards bowling in the second innings”.

Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder ensured the West Indies batted out day five.

Similar news for the next two games in Barbados and Grenada may well follow along with a call-up for Warwickshire’s Liam Norwell. He survived a big lbw appeal from Leach in the 49th over, with England’s quick huddle reluctantly choosing not to use their final review. The dash for quick runs sped the game up considerably, Root losing his leg stump to Alzarri Joseph and Dan Lawrence carting Holder for six in a lively 37. Unfortunately for England, there was no shortage of resolve from the fifth-wicket pair. Ben Stokes, effectively filling in for Wood despite his own precarious fitness issues, trapped Kraigg Brathwaite (33) with a shin-high shooter before Jack Leach conjured three quick breakthroughs. But it was his proactive leadership that did most to add some intrigue.

England's draw against West Indies in the first Test is a "huge step forward" after a "difficult year", says captain Joe Root.

Charlie Ewels was sent off barely a minute in but Ireland had to wait until the last 10 minutes to secure a 32-15 win at Twickenham.

But when given the opportunity to accelerate the tempo they were irrepressible and even in the face of heroic home defence, a second try was added as Jamison Gibson-Park took a quick tap and sent Hugo Keenan over. Until Jamie George knocked on at the back of a dangerously-positioned maul, the home side had defied the odds to seize control with their pack making an impact in all departments. The scrum emerged as their greatest weapon, producing six penalties on a traumatising afternoon for the Irish set-piece and enabling Marcus Smith to keep his side in contention from the kicking tee.