Ireland coach Joe Schmidt has hailed his side's resilience to fend off a late surge from England in their Six Nations victory at the Aviva Stadium.
Schmidt's men took control of the match in the first half and held a 9-3 lead at the break as Jonny Sexton kicked three penalties, although the home side's advantage could have been greater.
However, a second-half try from Robbie Henshaw put them beyond England's reach until the final 10 minutes of the game, when Ireland were forced to repel the Red Rose from their tryline.
Schmidt told BBC Sport: "After seeing them against Wales, we knew they were going to come back at us in the second half, but we dug deep and managed to keep them off our line.
"We do rely on our half backs a lot. They move us around in the right manner and find space. It's hard to quantify but it obviously gives us value.
"I'm a spectator on matchdays - the core leaders are out there on the pitch. We had that experience and it told. I'm learning off them as well as them off me."
Ireland are on course to complete the Grand Slam and face off against Wales in their next Six Nations clash on March 14.
Simon Sinclair
