article_snippet: Mere numbers, though, can’t properly tell the tale of this nerve-shredding afternoon where credit must go to Wales for transforming a slender 14-13 interval lead in Rome into the 61-20 thrashing and igniting the subsequent thirst for points at Murrayfield and Twickenham.
article_snippet: When it all ended, with England a metre short of the French line in forlorn search of the title-clinching converted try, ’s eyes should have been watering with the wonder of it all.
article_snippet: A whopping 27 tries — after just 36 in the four previous rounds’ dozen games — in a 221-point attacking rugby harvest.
article_snippet: With eight-try Wales 48 points clear of Italy, a margin that would have set Ireland the target of a 28-point win in Edinburgh, a vital late twist had the air of 2007 revisited (Italy scored a late try eight years ago to cut Ireland’s margin and France won the title by a points difference of +4).
article_snippet: Azzurri winger Leonardo Sarto proved unstoppable from his 10-metre line, touching down on 79:24 for the converted try that saw Ireland’s desired goal suddenly become a more manageable 21.
article_snippet: Having scored just four tries in 320 minutes, Rob Kearney (centre) doubled that tally through Paul O’Connell’s fifth-minute opener and Sean O’Brien’s 25th and 72nd-minute brace either side of Jared Payne’s 50th-minute effort.
article_snippet: It set England the chase of a 26-point victory and they fell short, referee Nigel Owens penalising they on 80:12 at a ruck for sealing off.
article_snippet: didn’t start lethargically, didn’ t trail by a dozen points 14 minutes in due to poor indiscipline, didn’t tactically kick inaccurately and did
article_snippet: n’t blow up damagingly at the lineout due to talismanic O’Connell taking on the responsibility of calling a plethora of ball on himself.
article_snippet: England beat France 55-35 at Twickenham but England wasn't enough to overhaul Ireland .
article_snippet: I texted the players on Tuesday and just said, “Training wasn’t flash today but get a day’s rest and let’s start from scratch on Thursday and really launch Ireland into this last challenge”,’ Joe Schmidt said.
article_snippet: That 24-word missive’s funny, Ireland took a fair bit of confidence out of Cardiff.
article_snippet: You give Wales a 12-point head start, a Lions pack team, get to within four and really put pressure on a 12-point head start, a Lions pack team — that in Wales own way gave Ireland a little bit of confidence even though Ireland did
highlights_snippet: England fell just short in their attempts to overhaul Ireland .