Someone else taking his kicks would have been a fine idea! He's young, he's learning, it was always utter madness to place all that responsibility on him when he was completely cold which is why I said Madigan was the right call. If anything I'm surprised at how well he did goal kicking excluded. A fine young player thrown to the wolves, fantastic man management there.
Horrendous moment for Best to have his wobbles. Righted it well enough second half but the moment somewhat gone. Some of those lineout calls in the first half were mad though.
Marshall had a very good game but it still a little sloppy occasionally in those final moments. It'll sharpen up. Mindyou, that final pass from ROG was unsympathetic as you like. There is no moment in which ROG is the right call. None. Leading up to that final scrum, ROG was stood behind Reddan, an absolute passenger - nevermind that kick.
Earls very poor. Apart from Heaslip and O'Brien, can't say I remember too much in the way of carrying from the Irish forwards.
Fair enough on the missed kick, shouldn't have happened. Harping on about one dropped ball is incredible though, everyone drops one now and again - unsighted for his first touch of a 6N ball. Disagree about line breaking, he might never have gone himself but the fact he attacked the line ready to threaten it allowed him to create those line breaks. No line break is ever a single man endeavour - just as no choke tackle is a single man - but Jackson played his part in terms of vision, hands and timing in those moments to perfection. Should be fully praised for that.
I will not defend the indefensible; his goal kicking was very poor. And he probably should have never been taking them really. And I've always agreed Madigan was the man for this game. But Jackson was the man on the park. His overall performance? Not too good, no. Very poor is very harsh when he did most things right - some very right - apart from one crucial aspect.
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