Ireland vs. England: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Six Nations Round 3

Defending Six Nations champions Ireland beat England 19-9 at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday to put themselves in pole position to repeat as champions, being the only undefeated team after Round 3.      

The hosts dominated the match for 72 minutes and were fantastic in the kicking game, although their efforts were greatly aided by numerous mistakes and penalties from England.

Peter Morrison/Associated Press

Ireland started the match on fire, taking the kick-off and immediately working the ball forward in typical, well-organised fashion. Every carry seemed to result in positive yards—every pass put pressure on England. James Haskell failed to clear out of the ruck inside of two minutes, and Johnny Sexton put the first points on the board.

England were called for a second penalty just minutes later as Billy Vunipola made a mistake in the ruck, and the back rower would struggle throughout the afternoon. BBC Sport's Dan Roan still prefers the more nimble Ben Morgan in that position:

The English defence was reeling under the constant pressure and Sexton doubled Ireland's tally after just eight minutes, a chip shot from close range.

George Ford's ensuing kick-off pinned the hosts back inside their own half and seemed to give some hope to the visitors, who got a chance at a free drop-goal after 11 minutes. The youngster converted with ease but missed a penalty to tie things up midway through the second half.

Rugby star Sam Burgess was sure the 21-year-old would redeem himself in the second half, however:

The Irish pressure didn't wear off after that early barrage, but England's defence settled in nicely and did a fantastic job keeping the defending champions at bay. Struggles on the line-out didn't help the hosts, nor did the loss of Sean O'Brien before half-time.

Sexton added three more points in the 29th minute, signaling fresh Irish attacks, but he missed from a tight angle just four minutes later, shocking the Aviva Stadium, via BBC Rugby Union:

The first half came to an end with Ireland leading 9-3, and IndySport was quite happy with what he had seen from both sides:

Three Rugby Ireland gave praise to arguably the best fly-half in the world, who put in a massive shift:

The start of the second half was a chaotic one, as England tried to do better in the kicking game to relieve some of the pressure on the back line. Gaps started to appear in both teams' defences, but Sexton restored order after 47 minutes, converting yet another penalty after Chris Robshaw barged into the side of the ruck.

Professional football player Dan Clifford stated the obvious:

The match then started to get away from England, who were finally buckling under the relentless pressure. Robbie Henshaw scored the first try of the match, connecting with a beautiful kick from Conor Murray.

Sexton added the conversion to make it 19-3, all but ending England's hopes of coming away with a win.

ByTheMin RugbyU saw the defending champions were simply better than the young English team, particularly in the aerial game:

A penalty from Ford pulled England back within 13 points, but Ireland played smart, mature rugby and made sure they continued to dominate possession, not allowing the visitors to gain any momentum and put pressure on their defence.

Against the run of play, England started to nibble at the lead, however. Another penalty made it a 10-point match with 11 minutes left on the clock, and the atmosphere inside the Aviva Stadium started getting nervy.

The Irish pressure all but vanished, to the dismay of coach Joe Schmidt, and with the hosts now determined to defend their lead inside their own half, England suddenly looked like a different team. The Daily Mirror's Alex Spink admired what they were trying to do:

A massive clear-out eased the pressure, however, and the Aviva Stadium could breathe easy. Jack Nowell thought he had scored a late try, but it was disallowed for a clear forward pass, and the official ended the match immediately after. 

Sports commentator Jamie Fox kept his analysis simple:

As reported by the Daily Telegraph's Daniel Schofield, coach Schmidt didn't understate the significance of this match ahead of kick-off:

"

It would be the biggest win we’ve had so far, without a doubt. The position we’re in, what we’ve got to play for, the year that’s in it, the players that have come in and out of the squad ... there’s a number of things that it would be great to give that confidence to the players, to know that they’re capable of doing it.

"

After the match, try-scorer Henshaw spoke of the incredible catch, couldn't get past how good Sexton was and looked ahead to the future, per BBC Sport's live blog:

"

It was good chance to use my Gaelic football skills and get it down. Johnny Sexton gives us confidence - he's a true leader and everyone's learning from him all the time. We're growing week on week and we can keep improving.

"

Ireland showed why they're real World Cup contenders on Sunday, playing excellent, organised rugby against an England side which continued to shoot itself in the foot. The Six Nations Champions seemed to tire tremendously near the end, though, and against the likes of New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, that could spell trouble.   

They now sit in the driver's seat to repeat as Six Nations' champions, with a massive clash against Wales looming.