Honourable defeat could be turning point in Jones’s search for leadership | Andy Bull

England showed pride and resilience after Charlie Ewels’ early red card to push Ireland all the way before falling to a 32-15 loss

So it wasn’t one of the great victories. But it may just go down as one of the great defeats. The game should have been as good as over before it had even really started, cut short by a red card after Charlie Ewels’ reckless tackle on James Ryan.

The crowd didn’t like it, and booed long and loudly after Mathieu Raynal made the decision. But of course the referee was right. The fans’ frustration overwhelmed everything they’ve learned in the last few years about the long-term consequences of those kinds of collisions. But really, all that knowledge about the risks meant there was no room for forgiveness. Ewels had every opportunity to go lower. It was a dangerous mistake.