England suffered a humbling defeat to Ireland at the weekend in the Six Nations, and with it any realistic hopes of winning the competition disappeared.
Andy Farrell’s side were immense and were fully deserving of their record victory over England at Twickenham, but questions will now be asked about Steve Borthwick and his side.
Several English players struggled throughout the match, as Luke Cowan-Dickie and Freddie Steward were substituted in the first half for tactical reasons, but George Ford seemed to be the individual that felt the full force of Twickenham’s frustrations.
The Sale Sharks star will be the first to admit that he was not at his best and had a poor performance, but there was shock around the reaction of fans towards his tough day at the office from a pair of rugby experts.
Advert
Irish journalists Ruaidhri O'Connor and Cian Tracey were surprised by the jeers that rang out around Twickenham towards George Ford, who had a day to forget, due to the service and longevity he has provided to the English jersey throughout his career.
Speaking on the Indo Daily, Tracey said: “One of the English journalists asked me there at the end, because we reckon there was about 20,000 Irish fans here, which was amazing.
“But he was like, ‘Was that the Irish fans though?’ I didn't think it was. I thought it felt more like the English fans.
“I thought it was distasteful. I have to admit for a home crowd.”
O’Connor was quick to agree with his colleague but also reminded him about the Irish doing the same last week to Sam Prendergast for his performance against Italy.
He said: “We talked a lot about what happened last week with the big cheer when Jack Crowley went on, and we have heard anecdotal evidence of people kind of jeering Sam Prendergast in the game, and you know that's this. It's kind of the same side of the coin.
“It's to a 100-capper, like, you know, George Ford's done an awful lot in the England jersey; it was incredibly disrespectful to him.”
England stars on booing at rugby
Saracens stars Owen Farrell, Jamie George and Maro Itoje gave their views on booing kickers ahead of the conversion, with the latter two on the pitch as Ford received the jeers at Twickenham.
George was quick to point out that it should not be happening, as he said: “Pay a little bit of respect.
“I don’t want anyone being booed.”
The England captain believed that it should not be happening as he raised his red flag to it but joked that it doesn’t really bother him as he is not taking the conversion.
Meanwhile, Farrell attempted to find the funny side as he raised his red flag to it happening with the former England international suffering this throughout his career, as he was the kicker at both international and club levels.
He said: “I get booed anyway, so…”
Farrell understands his role as a pantomime villain for other nations and clubs because he is such a noticeable name and figure in the sport; however, he did step back from England duty ahead of the 2024 Six Nations for his mental health and his family’s well-being following intense public scrutiny and abuse during the World Cup.
Ford and Farrell were rivals for a long time for the England fly-half position, but it would not be surprising if the British and Irish Lion reached out to the Sale Sharks star to see how he is feeling after what transpired in Twickenham on Saturday.
Topics: Rugby, Rugby Union
Brendan McGilligan