"Drop Earl" - Will Greenwood tells Steve Borthwick to make decisive England change

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Ireland ran in three second-half tries to launch their bid for a third successive Six Nations title with a bonus-point victory over England in Dublin. Steve Borthwick’s men had started brightly, with debutant Cadan Murley crossing early to give them a deserved half-time lead.

However, a well-worked Jamison Gibson-Park score in the first half was followed by second-half tries from Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne, and returning hooker Dan Sheehan, sealing a comfortable win for Simon Easterby in his first game as Ireland’s interim head coach.

The defeat marks England’s sixth loss in seven matches under Borthwick, with new captain Maro Itoje unable to prevent another frustrating result.

, Greenwood insisted that Willis should be handed the starting No. 8 jersey against France, with Earl instead used as an impact sub.

“As a northerner myself, I’ll back the northern lads to continue at flanker and have Ben Earl as the super sub off the bench,” Greenwood wrote. “In Willis, I think we have a Doris.”

Looking ahead to England’s remaining fixtures, Greenwood believes the tournament’s success will come down to the Calcutta Cup against Scotland.

“Next week, any sane rugby player or pundit has to predict a France victory,” he added. “But that tells us where we are as England fans. If England win the Calcutta Cup – with Italy and Wales to follow – then that will change the whole narrative around them.”

For England, it’s a sixth defeat in seven matches under Borthwick and a baptism of fire for Maro Itoje in his first game since replacing Jamie George as captain.

With a crucial clash against France at the Allianz Stadium up next, here are four changes Borthwick must consider.

Telegraph 4/10: "His worst nightmare of facing a scrum half in open space recurred as Gibson-Park did him dirty as badly as Grant Williams had. England need more than a safety blanket at full back."

Replacement: George Hendy

Planet Rugby 4/10: "Had a great moment early on when he scored a debut try but a bit rabbit in the headlights after that. Made a couple of errors no Test player should ever really make, quite frankly. Murley should be backed next weekend as you can see the talent and potential, but it was a big learning curve in Dublin"

Guardian 5/10: "Quickly snaffled a try on debut, but later invited pressure on teammates twice with a serious lack of composure in defence."

Telegraph 4/10: "After what set to be a dream debut, scoring a try after eight minutes, Ireland turned his life into a nightmare, forcing into some horrible naive errors."

Evening Standard 5/10: "Got off to a flyer on his debut by scoring inside the opening 10 minutes. Had a tough second half, though, and was shaky on kick defence. Did assist Curry’s try."

Replacement: Tom Roebuck

Planet Rugby 5/10: " Kicking was good in the first half and he brought some good tempo to the game, but Mitchell struggled to control the game after the interval."

Telegraph 5/10: "Done all ends up after showing Lowe the outside for Gibson-Park’s try. A few other uncharacteristic errors but then England’s attack stopped functioning when he went off."

The Sun 5/10: "Returning scrum half brought calmness but the missed tackle on Lowe, just as Smith was getting ready to return, was critical."

Replacement: Harry Randall

Mail Online 5/10: "Dropped restart after England's early opener but one strong ruck clear-out showed his menace. Made way for Saracens team-mate Tom Willis."

Rugby Pass 5/10: "The third openside in the England back row, he was eclipsed by what the Curry twins achieved and gone by the 56th minute. While a show of wheels helped lead to the penalty that got England 10-5 up just before the break, some rearguard work wasn’t up to scratch. For instance, his soft knock-on at the 7-0 restart. There were also too many missed tackles."

Replacement: Tom Willis

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