LIVE BLOG: Ireland vs. England

Well, it's been talked about for long enough, and now the hour is finally upon us.  Croke Park has witnessed the playing of God Save The Queen without the ground shaking or opening up, and we're about to see some rugby played.  80 minutes, oval ball.  A simple game of rugby, when you strip away all the details.  Blogged live, here on Scrumbag.  Remember, f5 or refresh to update the page. Toni (English) will take you through the first half.

0 mins:  Jonny Wilkinson gets the game underway, and after some recycling Brian O'Driscoll seeks to test out Olly Morgan.  To no avail. Some scrapping then England penalty chance:

*** IRELAND 0 ENGLAND 3 ***

2 mins: Can we stop now please? I like this, we're winning. Simon Easterby has a complete paddy at a maul situation, and Ireland are running at England from halfway. Josh Lewsey tackles, but Ireland recycle. David Strettle handles the chip kick well, he'll be pleased.

4 mins: England lineout. Ireland challenge but England gather. England maul. Doing pretty well, gaining ground slowly, and the re set is good. Box kick from Ellis, gathered by Horgan. Dempsey makes the break but gets smacked, but he's got the penalty. I'd imagine they'll kick this. They are. I love being right.

*** IRELAND 3 ENGLAND 3 ***

6 mins: England restart. Gathered brilliantly by O'Connell. Ireland maul it then spin it to the backs - they're running it in their own 22! O'Driscoll tackled then O'Gara boots up field but misses touch. England ping it back but then England are penalised for being offside. O'Gara going for touch. Doesn't get a huge distance, but still, Ireland lineout.

8 mins: O'Connell takes the lineout and the Ireland forwards take it on. Gaining ground slowly. Goes to the backs and O'Gara kicks to Strettle who handles well. O'Gara kicks to touch neatly. Ireland seem to be attacking Strettle but so far he's doing well.

10 mins: Missed some play as I had to hit update. Now Ireland have the ball, Hickie chips forward but Corry gathers. Spins it to Wilkinson, who kicks it to O'Gara, who kicks it back and Corry gathers after a bit of a fumble. England ball. Wilkinson to Tindall, who kicks to touch.

12 mins: England ball, they spin it to the backs. O'Driscoll gets a kick in and Strettle fields it and counters, chips it and Dempsey takes it. Ireland take it up the blindside but they knock it on. England scrum. Joel Jutge reminds England of the rules and an engage is achieved, Vickery bores in but Jutge blames Horan! Engage again. England penalty! JESUS! I'm English but Christ alive, Jutge can't ref the scrum. Wilkinson kicks to touch.

15 mins: My Irish husband: "I'd rather have Chris White reffing this than Jutge, at least White would be decent!" Funny. England run some ball and Ireland turn it over but don't do much with it. Stringer looks pissed off. Scrum down Ireland. Ireland spin it to the backs but it's such a mess they can't get it out to their runners. Ireland take it through the centre and more dodgy passing ensues but Ireland retain ball and have men over, but Easterby can't get the pass away and the move ends.

17 mins: Scrum down Ireland and they kick the ball in the scrum, Ireland get the penalty and kick to touch. O'Connell takes it. Ireland mauling very nicely. Scrum down England as Ireland mess up at the breakdown. Good scrum, Wilkinson finds Farrell. Just outside the England 22, England concede the penalty.

20 mins: O'Gara kicks

*** IRELAND 6 ENGLAND 3* Over to Paul, Mr. Irish, for the second quarter.

21 mins:  England line-out, stolen by Ireland.  O'Gara tests Morgan, wisely, but Morgan is equal to it and England have the free kick.  Penalty against O'Connell and unsurprisingly Wilkinson finds touch.  But Ireland steal again and win a penalty on their own 10 yard line.  Poor kick by O'Gara though, and though Ireland secure ball it's not attacking ball.  A kick downfield by Horgan is taken by Morgan who simply boots it sideways into touch, Ireland lineout.

26 mins:  Ireland penalty, O'Gara kicks it through the monsoon to extend the Irish lead.

***IRELAND 9 ENGLAND 3***

28 mins:  Jutge has a word with O'Connell again.  Who'll be the first man to go to the sin bin?

29 mins:  Danny Grewcock.  I am stunned.

30 mins:  The penalty was for a professional foul.  Ireland go for the corner to line-out against a weakened English second row.  Secured.  Some loose play, but lovely recovery by Gordon D'Arcy, to O'Driscoll, to Dempsey, TRY FOR IRELAND!  O'Gara adds the two, and it's suddenly looking comfy for Ireland.

***IRELAND 16 ENGLAND 3***

33 mins:  Lund takes Dempsey out in the air.  Toni, as English as they come, is disgusted as Jutge fails to even bin a man who should at this very moment be taking his post-match shower.  What in Christ's name is he thinking?  Dempsey could have been seriously hurt there.  O'Driscoll going mental, and rightly so.

36 mins:  Tait carries back into his own 22 and his kick for touch brings an Irish line-out within range.  Horgan takes a BEAUTY of a line.  But O'Connell knocks on.  PISH!  Then Lund is driven back over his own line, Irish scrum.  TRY FOR IRELAND!  David Wallace scores, this is getting uglier than Danny Grewcock's face.  O'Gara bangs the extras over.

***IRELAND 23 ENGLAND 3***

39 mins:  Grewcock back on for the moment.  Last play for England.  Can they make a dent in the Irish domination on the field and the scoreboard?

40 mins:   No.

Half Time:  England's renaissance is being brutally exposed by the Irish.  If only they'd played like this a fortnight ago.  Victories over a Scottish side who were always going to struggle to match last year's impressive performances and an Italy team who seem to lack self-belief against the big guys are being dwarfed by an Irish side who really have outstripped the English in all areas of the field.

41 mins:  England replacement:  Lund off (about 15 minutes too late), Tom Rees on.  Possibly Lund feeling not up to this mentally after being panelled into his own in-goal area and seemingly quite gutted after he took Dempsey out in the air.

43 mins:  Simple penalty for O'Gara after Vickery infringes at a scrum again.  Converted.

***IRELAND 26 EnGLAND 3***

44 mins:  Horan finds touch.  What?

47 mins:  I nip to the loo, Strettle scores on his debut. 

Sorry about the delay, but we're back now and it's Toni again.

56 mins: The score is currently:

*** IRELAND 26 ENGLAND 13 ***

and O'Gara is lining up a penalty. Not sure what for, there's been some confusion at Scrumbag Towers but we're back now. O'Gara gets it, which makes it:

*** IRELAND 29 ENGLAND 13 ***

57 mins: Ireland on the attack. O'Gara kicks long and it's gathered by Lewsey. Ireland have the ball, Horgan right on the right blindside chips but it's all a bit of a mess... the touch judge is claiming that the pass to Horgan was forward. Yeah. Okay.

59 mins: Ireland get the free kick at the scrum and Ireland are running it, just outside the England 22. Ireland are recycling very well, building the phases. They spin it wide and gain ground, but Corry does well. Not well enough, because Ireland recycle again and spin it to the left. Side to side at the moment! Stringer puts in a frankly bizarre box kick and Tait makes the mark. England run at Ireland and ELLIS NEARLY GETS CLEAR! Damn, that was close. Chuter plays scrum half and England run it, Lewsey has it but knocks it on. The move dies - but now Ireland have got advantage! Ireland back in the English 22, Ireland powering forward, Stringer spins it. O'Gara pass - ENGLAND INTERCEPT! Nothing happens! The game's gone mad! We stop finally. PHEW.

62 mins: That was non-stop and everyone is knackered now, so we've got a break for people to get their breath back. It's stopped pelting it down at last. Scrum down Ireland. All sorts of crazy stuff and eventually Ireland do cross the England line, but Jutge rules it as held up.

64 mins: Ireland win the scrum and recycle. O'Gara goes for the cross field kick - Horgan is the target - he's THERE! IRELAND TRY! England are buggered now. O'Gara conversion... he gets it from the wrong side of the posts out wide. Impressive.

*** IRELAND 36 ENGLAND 13 ***

66 mins: O'Driscoll intercepts and Ireland are spinning it around the backs. O'DRISCOLL IS DOWN and now hobbling. Not good, not good at all, very bad. Ireland get to the breakdown but O'Driscoll is around the ruck - he needs to get off the field right this minute. Why isn't he leaving? What's the point in staying and doing himself damage? He's saying he's fine, but that might be his adrenaline talking.

69 mins: We carry on regardless. Ireland on the attack, just outside the England 22. Cross field kick again - can't gather, Wallace messes around with it on the floor but Farrell gets it into touch. It gives Ireland the lineout so mostly it's just delaying the inevitable - Ireland are going to score here.

70 mins: Ireland spin it around, left, right, left, back on the blindside. Ireland take it right, but no, it's an England penalty.

71 mins: England lineout from the penalty but it's overthrown AGAIN. Ireland gather but they do knock it on. England scrum. England run it again - why aren't they getting Wilkinson to kick? They're still in their own half! This is mad tactics.

73 mins:  O'Driscoll off, Trimble on.  Get an ice pack on that, Brian.  Now.

75 mins:  We're going to leave it here, because a) Ireland have won and won it well, and b) our Chinese food arrived earlier than expected. We'll be back later for FRANCE VS. WALES so I hope you join us then.