Ireland legend Brian O\u2019Driscoll \u201ccouldn\u2019t get over\u201d the anxiety which plagued England\u2019s display in their Six Nations loss at the weekend.<\/p>\n
Steve Borthwick\u2019s men were thrashed 42-21 by the Irish at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday which effectively ended their title hopes.<\/p>\n
It followed a 31-20 reversal in Scotland and points to a wider problem in England\u2019s<\/a> game, despite going on a 12-match winning run ahead of that Calcutta Cup clash.<\/p>\n Tone set from the off<\/p>\n According to O\u2019Driscoll<\/a>, the tone was set from the first minute when the hosts wasted an opportunity to move the ball through the phases, with George Ford instead going to the boot.<\/p>\n Although they won back possession, the former British and Irish Lions centre felt it was a sign that they did not trust their attack.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t get over their first play of the game when they got possession and went through three or four phases. They might have made 20 metres, they were going well. They are the hardest yards you\u2019re going to get in the whole game because everyone\u2019s fresh and ready to make an impact,\u201d he told Off The Ball. <\/p>\n \u201cThey were going forward and it certainly warranted at least a couple more phases. George Ford goes for a cross-field kick and I\u2019m looking at the monitor and then I look up to the game, and I was thinking, \u2018it must be way on\u2019, and it\u2019s not. It\u2019s just Freddie Steward standing out there.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a five-yard gain and, okay, he gets it, but it\u2019s a bit hit and miss isn\u2019t it? Freddie\u2019s very good in the air, it\u2019s a good kick but it\u2019s five yards. You can make five yards from another couple of carries, you might get a line break, might get your hands free.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, I\u2019m wondering if they\u2019re thinking within certain parts of the field, \u2018we\u2019ve played six or seven phases here and we only made 25 yards \u2013 maybe it\u2019s time to go to the air\u2019. Or not making an error or turn the ball over because Steve wouldn\u2019t want that. It was the first play of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n Mike Tindall: Ireland victory \u2018given to them\u2019 by England<\/a><\/p>\n England errors<\/p>\n While Ireland<\/a> didn\u2019t pull away until the second quarter, the opening 20 minutes gave the visitors the platform they needed with Ford missing touch on two occasions and Luke Cowan-Dickie faltering in the lineout.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is something wrong with England\u2019s attack game and I couldn\u2019t get over the nervousness which they were playing early on,\u201d O\u2019Driscoll added.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first lineout didn\u2019t work, the second lineout Cowan-Dickie went to [Alex] Mitchell, who was standing at one just to win possession. You\u2019re like, \u2018come on, you\u2019re better than that\u2019.<\/p>\n