So much for new material, English and Irish. What, it may now be asked, would have happened if Ireland had played first with the wind, as Wales, it may be recalled, did at Cardiff? England, one feels sure, still would have won, for from the front row of the scrummage backwards through the team they were appreciably the stronger combination of players. It may be granted that much of the shockingly bad play—defensiye as well as offend sive—that mirred England's triumph and helped a well-beaten Ireland to cross their goal-line four times in the second half was largely due to the reactions of ever-easy success during the first 40 minutes, England, at any rate, were caught fairly on the hop at the start of the second half, and, scrummage Reynolds took a pass from Giles and very cleverly side-stepped his way over for the second try. Parkers place-kicking raised another groan of dismay from the crowd, and Ireland had hardly fought their way once more into the English "25" and begun to rush the English passing before Nicholson recovered a loose hall, shook off the Irish tacklers and went through supported by Bolton. The latter passed out to Unwin, who ran very hard and somehow forced his way over. Parker made light of the difficult angle and a few moments later was converting a great try by Marshall into another goal. This time Marshall broke away from a line-out about the half-way line, gathered speed in the manner of a Wakefield, and rounded the full back as if the latter was just a stationary post. With the score at 23—0 the game looked as good as over.
As it happened England were slower to recover from their own bewildering success than Ireland were to pull themselves together. Morgan marked the English kick-off and with a grand kick placed his side in an encouraging position. There was some passing and for a few moments the Irish pack let themselves go. Reynolds had a kick charged down and Cromey was over for a try before the defence could recover. Crowe was no Parker as a place-kicker, but in the next quarter of an hour, if Ireland had been clever as well' as desperate, England would have had a bad time indeed. As it was, a number of near things included a break through by Cromey and Bailey which all but brought a try between the posts. Cranmer just got Bailey by the legs in time, though an angry spectator apparently thought otherwise and had to be forcibly removed from the field of play. Another disappointment came when England were penalized in front of their posts and yet Walker could not kick a goal. having very luckily emerged from that anxious quarter of an hour only a try to the bad, they never should have allowed Ireland to rattle them again. Misfielding of long Irish kicks that otherwise would have gained no valuable ground, blind and mistimed passing that aggravated the tendency to kick instead of run—fortunately for England the Irish centres had a bad match and even G. J. Morgan was not so dangerous as usual— brought about plenty of movement and excitement. but little else. Rey-naids, as one feared he would, tired after his recent illnesses, Giles suffered from a nasty kick on the head, and more and more the English attack depended upon the chance breakaway. The defence, too, was apt to be rushed when it ought to have cleared its lines with ease, and several times only a timely piece of covering—here Unwin was commendably prominent—or a belated tackle—here Cranmer, as usual, was invaluable—saved an ugly situation. Still, perhaps one took the second half too seriously.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.