England win titanic arm-wrestle against Ireland
England's George Furbank runs into score his side's second try of the game during the Guinness Six Nations match at Twickenham Stadium, London, March 9, 2024
England 23-22 Ireland
By David Nicholson
at Twickenham
ENGLAND won a titanic arm-wrestle on Saturday at Twickenham to break Irish hearts and end the visitor’s hopes of a second successive Grand Slam.
Magnanimous Ireland skipper Peter O’Mahony paid tribute to how well the men in white played and explained that the game “was a savage battle.”
The veteran forward had been sent to the sin bin in the 57th minute and England eschewed the three-point penalty in search of a try. Man-of-the-match Ben Earls duly burst over to punish the Irish and his side retook the lead.
Smith and Slade dropped from backline for Sunday’s Six Nations showdown