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Published 17:07 4 Feb 2019 GMT
Updated 17:11 4 Feb 2019 GMT
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(Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile)[/caption]
The Ireland head coach held his hands up that England were the better side and that Ireland had received a 'reality check' after their recent run of victories. He did, however, take some time to highlight players he felt accounted themselves well.
Asked for positives, he began by saying, "Our scrum was good, our lineout was good. Those set-pieces that we need to be good, they were very solid.
"I did think Robbie [Henshaw] worked incredibly hard. Bundee [Aki] got involved in a lot of play. Garry Ringrose... I thought a defining moment could have been where we got that turnover ball. We didn't make the most of it at the other end. "We lost it. We got the ball back and forced a penalty but, at that stage, if could have scored it could have made the game 17-17. And for all the dominance that England, physically, had delivered, it puts you back in the game. That's how fickle it is."That Ringrose tackle on Owen Farrell certainly roused the home crowd but England got back to slow the ball down and Ireland settled for three points rather than kicking for the corner. [caption id="attachment_192709" align="aligncenter" width="835"]
Credit: Rugby Pass[/caption]
Schmidt also mentioned a few of his replacements and it will be interesting to note if any start against Scotland next weekend. He commented:
"A couple of guys off the bench - Dave Kilcoyne, Quinn Roux and Sean O'Brien, I think, came on and did well. It's tough for Jordan Larmour to come on in such a big game but he will learn from that midfield scrum where they did get enough space on the edge to get that kick away...
"I think people forget some of the youth of these gys. I know Jacob Stockdale was Player of the Tournament last year but he is still a very young man in international terms."
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