Heading into the second last weekend of the Guinness Six Nations on 9 March 2024, we have the mouthwatering encounter between England and Ireland.
Ireland, right at the summit of the log, will have to overcome a determined England side that could cause them problems, especially in front of 80,000 fans packed into Twickenham. It’s a daunting venue, and if England can get a good start, Ireland will have their work cut out for them.
However, after dispatching France in the opening round in what they would have seen as their most difficult game in the tournament, Ireland are on somewhat of a high, despite the disappointment of losing to the All Blacks in the quarter-final of last year’s Rugby World Cup.
Andy Farrell’s charges are looking to win their second Guinness Six Nations in a row, a feat they last managed in the 2014 and 2015 tournaments. It’s something they’ve only ever done on three occasions before and will put them on course to secure their first-ever hat-trick of tournament wins in 2025.
England continue to transition following last year’s World Cup and are without former skipper and flyhalf Owen Farrell, who has decided to take a break from international rugby for mental health reasons. Farrell’s absence has allowed George Ford to step up and show just how talented he is.
One thing you can be sure of is that Twickenham will be humming as both teams lay it on the line in search of victory. It promises to be a clash of epic proportions and one that fans of both sides always look forward to in the Guinness Six Nations.
Team News
You can expect that both coaches will opt for full-strength teams for this encounter. The main reason for this is that the match comes on the back of a two-week break in the tournament.
Unless there are injuries to deal with, Ireland will surely go with much the same team that defeated France in the opening round, or as close to it as possible.
Expect George Ford to start at flyhalf for England to provide a steady game from the pivot and to go for the goal should the home side get any penalties within kicking range. One area that England can bother Ireland is at the rucks, especially if they pick Tom Curry on the flank. Curry is a pilferer of note and a real nuisance at the breakdown. In fact, England’s pack could be a threat to Ireland on the day and that’s something that the visitors will have to be very wary of.
England’s Guinness Six Nations Squad
Forwards: Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Alex Coles (Northampton Saints), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks), Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins), Ben Curry (Sale Sharks), Theo Dan (Saracens), Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins), Ben Earl (Saracens), Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears), Jamie George (Saracens) – captain, Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers), Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Beno Obano (Bath Rugby), Tom Pearson (Northampton Saints), Ethan Roots (Exeter Chiefs), Will Stuart (Bath Rugby), Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby).
Backs: Oscar Beard (Harlequins), Danny Care (Harlequins), Elliot Daly (Saracens), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints), Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs), George Ford (Sale Sharks), Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints), George Furbank (Northampton Saints), Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby), Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints), Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Fin Smith (Northampton Saints), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby), Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers).
Ireland’s Guinness Six Nations squad
Forwards: Ryan Baird (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Jack Conan (Leinster), Caelan Doris (Leinster), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Iain Henderson (Ulster), Ronan Kelleher (Leinster), Jeremy Loughman (Munster), Joe McCarthy (Leinster), Peter O’Mahony (Munster) (captain), Tom O’Toole (Ulster), Andrew Porter (Leinster), James Ryan (Leinster), Dan Sheehan (Leinster), Tom Stewart (Ulster), Nick Timoney (Ulster), Josh van der Flier (Leinster).
Backs: Bundee Aki (Connacht), Harry Byrne (Leinster), Craig Casey (Munster), Jack Crowley (Munster), Ciaran Frawley (Leinster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster), Hugo Keenan (Leinster), Jordan Larmour (Leinster), James Lowe (Leinster), Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), Conor Murray (Munster), Calvin Nash (Munster), Garry Ringrose (Leinster), Jacob Stockdale (Ulster).
Match Tickets
Twickenham will be packed to the rafters for this critical Guinness Six Nations clash with Ireland sure to be closing in on another successful tournament and hoping to claim their second trophy in a row.
To be one of the 80,000 fans hoping to catch a glimpse of this much-anticipated match, you’d have to have secured your England vs Ireland tickets extremely early as this is always an encounter that sells out quickly.
Various ticket reselling sites on the internet have limited supply, but you will have to act quickly if you want to get to Twickenham on the day and see two top northern hemisphere teams battle it out.
Take your time, do your research and if you act quickly enough, you can still secure some tickets that won’t break the bank!
Prediction
After the 2023 Rugby World Cup, and although they surprised many with how far they managed to go in the tournament (a one-point semi-final loss to South Africa), England remains a team in transition.
Yes, there are still a number of old hands wearing the red rose on their chest, but losing their Farrell couldn’t have been easy leading into the Six Nations. That said, they’ve done well in the tournament so far, but a match against log leaders Ireland, a side that looks likely to win the tournament, is the real acid test.
Can England win? Anyone side can beat another on their day. They have one thing in their favour, and that’s Twickenham. Playing at home will be a real fillip for Steven Borthwick’s charges, and they will give Ireland a good run for their money.
They won’t win, however. Ireland currently has too many guns for England and even though they’ve lost Sexton, their side is extremely experienced and knows how to grind out a victory (just not in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.)
Ireland 22-12 England