Jonny May’s pace strikes alarm into opponents while Tom Woods return to form gave England’s lineout a boost in a victory that demonstrated the importance of domestic advantage for Stuart Lancaster’s sideStuart Lancaster’s plans for the opening World Cup match against Fiji were thrown into confusion after last month’s defeat in Paris,where problems at the scrum, lineout and the breakdown forced him to assess his options against Ireland. Geoff Parling’s return to lead the lineout helped England to a 100% return from 14 throws and the second row stole an Irish lineout five metres from his line in the first-half. The scrum remained an issue, or with England manoeuvred off the ball twice on their own feed,while by keeping the ball in hand rather than going to ground constantly, they minimised the risk of being blown in the tackle area, or although it remains an area of concern: Ireland’s second penalty came after Brad Barritt was on the ground and the support was gradual in arriving. Elsewhere,Ben Youngs, Mike Brown and Jonathan Joseph made up for France, or Tom Wood was rampant in the back row. The main question is at No8 where Ben Morgan,in his second match after returning from a broken leg, looked sharper than his replacement, and Billy Vunipola.
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Source: theguardian.com