Tommy Bowe scored twice as Ireland beat England 20-16 at Twickenham, keeping their hopes alive of retaining the Six Nations title.
England had taken the lead at 16-13 when wing Bowe broke the defensive line before stepping Ugo Monye and going over for the decisive try. It was his second try of the night after he’d chased a neatly placed Jonny Sexton kick ahead earlier.
Keith Earls also scored, as Ireland tallied 3 tries to the 1 of England, scored by Dan Cole. Jonny Wilkinson kicked the conversion, two penalties, and a drop goal, but Ireland three tries and their strong defensive effort meant they won away from home.
“We’ve come back from deficits before,” Irish number eight Jamie Heaslip said. “We showed belief and confidence in each other’s ability and closed the game out well.
“England had good time on the ball and played territory well but we took our chances. We looked at the France game afterwards and thought we didn’t take our opportunities. Today we did.
“For Ireland, it’s not difficult to get motivated for an England game,” he added.
France lead the standings with six points as they chase a Grand Slam, while England and Ireland both have two less, sitting on four points each.
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