Bowe: We need to step it up

Tommy Bowe accepts misery awaits in New Zealand this summer if Ireland fail to improve on their dismal end to the RBS 6 Nations.

Tommy Bowe accepts misery awaits in New Zealand this summer if Ireland fail to improve on their dismal end to the RBS 6 Nations.

The Irish finished the championship in third place after being defeated 30-9 by England at Twickenham in the worst defeat of coach Declan Kidney’s reign.

Next in store is a daunting three-Test series against the world champion All Blacks, a side they have never beaten.

“We’re really going to have to pick ourselves up if we’re to avoid being made a joke of in New Zealand,” Bowe said.

“We’re very disappointed and that performance against England was a complete let-down. We know we’re better than that. We’ll need to have a look at ourselves because it’s not good enough.

“That defeat has left a very sour taste in our mouths and it was a very quiet changing room.”

Bowe insists Ireland should have been on course for the title when they arrived at Twickenham.

Instead, they were flattened by a vastly superior England team that used an overwhelmingly dominant scrum to pound them into submission.

“Consistency is the problem that is letting us down,” Ospreys wing Bowe said. “We have shown in the past that we are a top team and against England we should have been playing for a championship or a Grand Slam.

“We were ahead against Wales despite not playing that well and we were ahead against France until a bad 20-minute spell in the second half cost us the campaign.

“I hate saying we’re not far off but at times we’ve shown that we’re better than these teams and are good enough to compete. I don’t know if it’s in our heads, we’ve just switched off at times. It’s something we must look at.”

Ireland are waiting to see if citing officer Alberto Recaldini takes action over an accusation by flanker Stephen Ferris that he was bitten during the first half.

Ferris protested to referee Nigel Owens, who claimed he did not see the incident, and then received treatment.

Neither coach Declan Kidney nor captain Rory Best would elaborate on the incident after the game.

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

Joe McCarthy 25/3/2024 Cullen names raft of international returnees in side to face Bulls
Jake White during the warm-up 23/3/2024 Jake White: 'I'll keep coaching as long as I love it'
Louis Rees-Zammit file photo Louis Rees-Zammit reportedly signs for Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs
Sport Push Notifications

By clicking on 'Sign Up' you will be the first to know about our latest and best sporting content on this browser.

Sign Up
Sport
Newsletter

Latest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers

Sign up
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited