Ireland may have lost their Autumn Nations Cup clash with England but they gained an awful lot as a team, according to centre Chris Farrell.
A Jonny May double ensured that England’s unbeaten run in the competition continued in Round 2, securing victory over Andy Farrell’s Ireland 18-7 despite Jacob Stockdale’s late try.
The defeat was Ireland’s fourth on the spin against Eddie Jones’ men but 27-year-old Farrell, who starred by making a match-high 98 metres and 15 carries in the contest, was far from downbeat with the performance – believing plenty of positives could be taken away.
“If there’s anything to take from it, it’s the fact we didn’t shy away,” Farrell said.
“In the past in big games against England over here, we’ve probably shied away, on reflection, in the games.
“We won the second half. We didn’t perform well enough in the first 20 minutes. We gave them 12 easy points and we gave ourselves an awful uphill battle.
“That will be something we have to look at and we’ll reflect on. We’ll be very disappointed with that and we are.
“I think there are definitely positives to take from the character of the team, the character of some individuals and the character of the collective as a whole. We stuck in it.
“I think we have a lot of growth now as a group. I think we have a lot of areas to grow in.
“When you see the individuals that have come in this campaign, we’re missing a few and we have new individuals in. I think there’s a lot of growth there. I think there’s a lot of positives to take from it.”
The fixture at Twickenham was Farrell’s 12th international cap, while international newcomers such as James Lowe, Hugo Keenan, Ronan Kelleher and Caelan Doris have all gained further experience at the highest level during the competition so far.
It was also the first taste of coming up against England at Test level for the Tyrone native and it certainly left an impression on him.
Farrell added: “The one thing I felt out there is that the breakdown was phenomenal. Every time I carried, I felt like it was an absolute battle to get the ball back.
“I know the rules have made that tough, in that you can’t have too many movements on the ground now. It’s always going to be tough, but I feel like they took advantage of that massively.
“They’re so good at attacking breakdowns or as we carry, they get on the ball so quickly. That’s what I was so impressed about with them.
“They’re a complete team. They’re a quality, quality team. They’re a group that have been together for quite a while now.”
