England Saxon Team to face Ireland A - Friday 4th Feb 2011
By RFU Press Office
February 2 2011
England Saxons head coach Stuart Lancaster has made three changes to his side for the match against Ireland A in Belfast on Friday night (7.30pm).
| England Saxons call up Doran-Jones, Simpson and Abendanon |
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Gloucester Rugby prop Doran-Jones, London Wasps scrum half Joe Simpson and Bath Rugby full back Nick Abendanon come into the team. Doran-Jones – a member of the England Elite Player Squad – comes in for Joe Marler (Harlequins) with Alex Corbisiero (London Irish) swapping sides in the front row. Simpson, another senior EPS player, takes over from Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens) while Abendanon returns in place of Mike Brown (Harlequins). The Saxons are out to build on their 45-17 win over Italy A at Worcester last weekend when they face the Wolfhounds at Ravenhill. “We were pleased with the performance given that we went into the game with only three days’ preparation but Ireland is a significantly different challenge and there are plenty of areas we need to improve" said Lancaster. “We’re away from home and Ireland will be on the rebound from their defeat against Scotland A as well as looking to avenge their defeat at The Rec against us last year. So it’s about stepping up our intensity and focus this week. We’ll be going into the game with confidence but also very wary and respectful of what Ireland will bring. “We’ve got one or two boys who have come back to us from Portugal where Martin Johnson and the senior coaches were keen to have a look at them. The boys who have come down have all been involved before and know the environment well.”
England Saxons
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:02:03:08:51:29 by Kath..
Saturday February 5, 2011
Issued by Simon Mills
England Saxons’ six-match winning run was halted in Belfast when they went down 20-11 against Ireland A.
Head coach Stuart Lancaster was impressed with the Saxons’ second half fightback – Ugo Monye (Harlequins) scoring a try as they pulled back to within six points with 15 minutes remaining and Stephen Myler (Northampton Saints) kicking two penalties.
But they couldn’t overhaul the Wolfhounds who held on to win with tries from captain Chris Henry and Munster wing Denis Hurley and 10 points from the boot of Ian Humphreys.
“We got ourselves close in the second half though and at 17-11 I thought we had a chance, but there were a couple of key moments in their 22 that we didn’t capitalise on,” said Lancaster.
“We gave ourselves too much to do after the first 40 but I’m proud of the effort in the second half. Ugo scored a good try and we began to show what we were capable of, moving the ball around and starting to cause the Wolfhounds more trouble, but a lot of the time we got suckered into a pick-and-go game and a slow game and their pack were exceptional.
“We played some good rugby though and with little bit of extra precision I think we could have closed that gap, but it wasn’t to be and credit to the Wolfhounds.
“You can’t replicate the learning that takes place in an A international and I’m sure the Ireland boys learnt a lot last week against Scotland and we learnt a lot [in the 45-17 win] against Italy and subsequently a lot against Ireland.
“The thing about international rugby is you don’t get the same chances – the reality is that we won’t meet again until the last week of May so it is a long time to sit and think about a defeat but this about taking chances and enjoying opportunities so I hope the players can take positives out of both games.”
Saxons let in two soft tries through very poor tackling, Tuliangi in the first five minutes was brushged off by Spence and they went in under the post. The second Irish try scored by Henry was a drive from the set piece and he just kept going for what seemed ages and should have been put down.
All the possession came from the Saxons and the Wolfhounds could do little but spoil, get offisde at the ruck, ruin the scrum, etc, they did it well and it stopped England getting quick ball and being expansive.
Myler offered little running threat and the wind stopped his ability to kick 2nd half as it just came back at him. Twelvetrees went off injured but Barrit was an able replacement. Hodgson also made a difference when he came on for Simpson for the second half. Pack worked well and looked strong, given another 10 minutes and no wind and the Saxons would have won but that's all ifs, buts and maybes eh?