Chiefs duo help England to see off Ireland

By Mark Stevens
21/11/20

Eddie Jones acclaimed the clinical finishing skills of Jonny May after the England winger ran in a sensational try as Ireland were flattened 18-7 in the Autumn Nations Cup at Twickenham.

Lining up alongside Exeter Chiefs duo Henry Slade and Jonny May in Jones’ match-day squad, May ended his five-Test scoring drought in spectacular fashion as two first-half touchdowns lifted him to second in the all-time Red Rose list alongside World Cup winners Ben Cohen and Will Greenwood on 31.

It leaves only Rory Underwood in front and even the England great would have been beaming with pride at May's second, a breathtaking solo effort that started inside his own 22 and combined elusive running, speed and vision.

When asked where May ranks among the wings he has coached, the veteran Australian said: "Jonny's right up there if you consider he's 30 and is still improving every aspect of his game. He's such a dedicated trainer and is obsessed about getting better. He's a great role model for all the players in the teams. When you consider the player he was... I remember watching him in the 2015 World Cup and at one stage he was going to end up in Row K. Now he's a serious finisher."

England produced a remarkable defensive display, consisting of 232 tackles in comparison to Ireland's 64, to extend their winning run in the fixture to four conclusive wins.

"We controlled most of the game. We went in with certain things we wanted to take away from them and certain things we wanted to impose. For the best part of the game we did that," Jones said.

"We got a little bit loose and a run of penalties in the second half but that just shows how much more we've got in us. England v Ireland games are always tough games. They've got a strong forward pack, we've got a strong forward pack. It's a tough old game. At times we dominated physically and we've got a bit more to go there."