Everybody is asking the same question about Conor Murray as England snatch victory from Ireland and end their Grand Slam dreams in the Six Nations.
Ireland were a point up in the dying minutes of the game only for England to get a drop-goal thanks to Marcus Smith, meaning that they managed to steal a win with the very last kick of the game.
However, with just under two minutes left on the clock, Murray had possession for Ireland and decided to kick for touch which ultimately resulted in the home side getting the ball back.
This eventually lead to England’s winner and it has fans on social media asking the same question – why did Murray not hold onto possession?
Irish fans online were venting their frustration at the decision, and couldn’t seem to understand why it was made, as opposed to running down the clock and holding onto their lead.
There were those who defended the decision to go for the kick, saying that running down the clock is only sustainable for maybe 30 seconds, but any error deep in your 22 could cost you game, and objectively speaking, that’s why Murray made the choice that he did.
It must be said that that opinion was was not widely agreed with, as the majority of viewers were baffled by the kick, and strongly believed that holding possession was the only way to go in that instance.
Brian O’Driscoll shares his views on ‘very disappointing’ loss as Grand Slam dream ends.
Speaking on ITV after the game, he reflected: ‘That was such an enjoyable Test match for 79 minutes.
“Well done England. They showed real bottle there. They could have gone away at 17-8 when Ireland hit their groove and scored early in the second-half.’
“But they came back, scored immediately and got themselves right back in it.
‘They stayed in the game and gave themselves a shot with a couple minutes to go which they duly took so massive credit to them.
“It is a great game for a neutral and the Six Nations. We needed that. From an Irish perspective, it is very disappointing but it just shows the difficulty of trying to win back-to-back Grand Slams.”
