PLAYER RATINGS: Genge and George impressed but Ewels was reckless

PLAYER RATINGS: Supreme Ellis Genge and Jamie George dazzled for England despite their Six Nations title hopes ending at the hands of Ireland, but Charlie Ewels was reckless after being sent off just 82 seconds in

  • England’s Six Nations title hopes came to an end after their defeat by Ireland 
  • Ellis Genge and Jamie George delivered superb performances at Twickenham 
  • But Charlie Ewels’ early sending-off left the hosts in the lurch in the thrilling tie 
  • Sportsmail’s ADAM HATHAWAY rates the performances of Eddie Jones’ players

England’s Six Nations title hopes were ended after their defeat by Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday evening, but several stars delivered standout showings.

Ellis Genge and Jamie George were among those to stand out, but Charlie Ewels’ reckless sending-off just 82 seconds into the clash left the hosts teetering.

Marcus Smith scored five penalties to hand the Red Rose a glimmer of hope, but Ireland made the most of their man advantage to keep their own trophy bid alive. 

Sportsmail‘s ADAM HATHAWAY was on hand to rate the performances of each of Eddie Jones’ players… 

Ellis Genge and Jamie George both stood out for England despite their defeat by Ireland

Ireland kept their Six Nations hopes alive at Twickenham after breaking down the 14-man hosts

Freddie Steward – 6.5 Solid defensively and under the high ball but we saw little from him in attack, primarily because of England’s numerical disadvantage and the fact the scrum was their dominant weapon.

Max Malins – 5 Couldn’t stop James Lowe from scoring Ireland’s first and produced a poor attacking pass at the start of the second period.

Joe Marchant – 6.5 He got next to no ball to play with, but he hassled and harried and chased every England kick with tenacity. Replaced by Elliot Daly.

Joe Marchant hassled and harried every kick with tenacity before being substituted off

Henry Slade – 6.5 Looked like he would have a shot at goal in the first half before giving way to Marcus Smith and had to make do with doing the hard yards.

Jack Nowell – 7 Packed down in England’s back-row after they went down to 14. His orange boots stood out wherever he went and he never stopped working.

Marcus Smith – 6 Missed one first-half penalty when England’s opportunities were at a premium. Kicked well after that but this wasn’t a game suited to his strengths.

Marcus Smith kicked well but the clash was not one which suited the fly-half’s strengths

Harry Randall – 5.5 Tossed aside like a ragdoll by Caelan Doris. Maintained a desire to play with tempo which bodes well. One poor kick and replaced by Ben Youngs.

Ellis Genge – 9 Dominant as well as clever at the set-piece and got on top of the mighty Tadhg Furlong in the first half. Supreme around the park too. Gave everything before Joe Marler came on.

Jamie George – 9 Hugely impressive. Helped solidify England after nightmare start and dominated at the scrum. Leapt like a gazelle each time his team won a penalty.

George was impressive for the hosts and helped solidify them after their nightmare start

Kyle Sinckler – 7 Part of an English front row which went well at the scrum in the first half and gave their team a chance. Replaced by Will Stuart just before the break.

Maro Itoje – 8.5 Fit to start after an illness scare and looked right up for the battle before kick-off. Itoje was majestic throughout and a scourge of Ireland once again.

Charlie Ewels – 2 Sent off 82 seconds in after his head collided with that of opposite number James Ryan. Referee Mathieu Raynal decided Ewels had been reckless in not attempting to get lower in the tackle.

Charlie Ewels had been sent off just 82 seconds in after his head collided with James Ryan’s

Courtney Lawes (capt) – 7 Tried to talk Raynal out of showing Ewels red but always faced a losing battle on that front. His team showed heroic effort, but they eventually ran out of puff.

Tom Curry – 5 Showed remarkable composure when a pitch invader who stood next to him for the anthems was tackled by security. When the action started, he lasted just 15 minutes before injury struck.

Sam Simmonds – 7 Bounced Lowe out wide when given a chance to roam and smashed Furlong too. Also showed he can do the tough stuff in a rear-guard action.

Replacements: Alex Dombrandt 6 (for Curry 15), Will Stuart 7 (for Sinckler 39), Ben Youngs 6.5 (for Randall 53), Joe Marler 5.5 (for Genge 67), Joe Launchbury 5.5 (for Dombrandt 67), Elliot Daly 5 (for Marchant 70), George Ford 5 (for Steward 80), Jamie Blamire 5 (for George 80)




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