Late Smith kick secures famous victory over Ireland
Marcus Smith kicked a last-minute drop-goal in England Men's 23-22 victory over Ireland at Twickenham
Two James Lowe tries and four Jack Crowley penalties earned Ireland the ascendency as England responded with tries from Ollie Lawrence, George Furbank and Ben Earl, a George Ford penalty and a Smith conversion, before the Harlequins man kicked his side to victory with the clock in the red.
Steve Borthwick's side came into the contest with two wins from three games; they opened their campaign with victories over Italy and Wales before their defeat to Scotland in Edinburgh. Ireland, meanwhile, entered the weekend with hopes of sealing the title with one game left to play.
Lawrence's fifth-minute try in Twickenham's South East corner came as a result of some slick handling from the England back line. Henry Slade darted down the left flank before drawing the last Irish defender, opening the gap for his centre partner to run in for the opening score of the afternoon.
The half time Match Centre statistics showed England leading on carries (12), metres gained (252), defenders beaten (12) and clean breaks (3), while George Furbank topped the the individual stats with 38 metres from 7 carries. In defence Ben Earl made seven first-half tackles, more than any other England player.
Ireland scored their opening try four minutes into the second half. Finding space out wide, James Lowe dived acrobatically into the left corner to extend the visitors' lead to nine points.
But Borthwick's men responded almost immediately, reducing the deficit to within five points with a second try through Furbank; The Northampton fullback raced over the line following a break from Maro Itoje, who received the ball from a falling George Martin.
Earl's score in the 60th minute regained the lead for England, much to the delight of the 81,686 fans packed into the Twickenham stands. The Saracens man wormed his way over the line to make the score 18-16 before a returning Smith slotted the conversion to stretch the lead.
But a second Lowe try in the same corner as his first snatched the lead back for Ireland with just seven minutes left on the clock. Trailing by two points, England pressed into the opposition 22 in search of match-winning points.
With Andy Farrell's men pinned on their own try line, Smith dropped back into the pocket and slotted a drop-goal with the clock already in the red, securing the win in front of a roaring Twickenham crowd.
