Rugby

Van der Flier call crucial says Ireland boss Schmidt

Impressive debutants Josh Van der Flier (centre) and Ultan Dillane (second from left) pictured during the anthems.
Impressive debutants Josh Van der Flier (centre) and Ultan Dillane (second from left) pictured during the anthems. Impressive debutants Josh Van der Flier (centre) and Ultan Dillane (second from left) pictured during the anthems.

THE decision not to award a try to debutant flanker Josh van der Flier was the key to Ireland’s defeat according to boss Joe Schmidt.

The young Leinster man, making his first Test appearance, crossed the line eight minutes from time under pressure from Elliot Daly.

While a handful of inconclusive replays appeared to show Daly finishing up with his hand under the ball, one angle that was shown did seem to suggest that van der Flier had touched down first.

However, that image wasn’t revisited and England, down to 14 men, survived having their lead cut to four points.

“Yeah, we saw that angle and we thought, and I think the players thought, that it was a try. We can’t buy a trick at the moment. It’s frustrating,” said Schmidt.

“It would have put us back in the game with five or six minutes to go, and they were a man down. We drove the lineout really well and they infringed when it looked like we were going to get pretty close.

“The build-up for Josh’s try came from a really good line break from Ultan Dillane. We get quick ball there, I think we score.

“It was a bit of an evening of frustration, but we’ve got to be better, we’ve got to get that support there so that we don’t allow them to slow that down.

“We’ll give ourselves a better chance of converting if we do have that close support.”

The frustration among the Irish camp was evidently more palpable following this defeat than from either of their two previous games.

They had botched first half chances against both Wales and France, but neither game saw them really display the cutting edge that they threatened in Twickenham.

Johnny Sexton and Robbie Henshaw were constant thorns in the English side, while Ultan Dillane and Josh van der Flier impressed on their debuts.

The home side ended up surviving their own indiscipline, though had the officials viewed Mike Brown’s actions on Conor Murray a different way, it could have been a different final few minutes.

Schmidt, as ever, was keeping his hands clean.

“They have people who look at those things. I have never, ever tried to influence those things. They made a decision on the field.

“It’s probably something they’ll look back at because Conor’s eye has stitches next to it. That strategy is fraught with risk, particularly with players in close proximity.

“I know that Mike Brown wouldn’t have done it on purpose; he’s trying to connect with the ball. That’s something that we don’t influence; it’s for other people to determine if he was culpable for being reckless or whatever.”

England head coach Eddie Jones, presiding over a third successive victory since taking over from Stuart Lancaster, didn’t take too kindly to the line of questioning on Brown.

“Are you allowed to kick the ball when it’s on the ground?” he retorted.

His comments on Johnny Sexton had not gone down well in many quarters, with even the English press deciding that he had crossed a boundary.

They may have some trouble filling their pages ahead of the crunch clash with Wales after Jones threatened to go on a self-imposed media ban.

“From this press conference onwards I’m putting a media ban on myself for scaremongering.

“If I don’t say anything you come away from the press conference saying it was boring, if I do you say it was scaremongering.

“I don’t regret saying anything. It was quoted by Ireland that he had suffered whiplash. I don’t regret it.

“I’m putting a self-imposed media ban on myself before the Wales game. I will leave that to Warren Gatland, he’s pretty good at it.”