England face a daunting start to their latest Six Nations campaign as they meet Ireland in the headline fixture of round one.
Steve Borthwick is under pressure to deliver wins after a difficult 2024 in which his side won just five of 12 Test matches in total, despite pushing New Zealand agonisingly close three times in addition to narrow autumn losses to South Africa and Australia, having beaten Ireland in the Six Nations earlier in the year and been just edged out by France.
England must start converting some of these painful close losses into victories, though they could not have faced a tougher start to this competition than a trip to Dublin that is followed quickly by the visit of favourites France to Twickenham.
However, they are aiming for a record ‘three-peat’ without their influential boss Andy Farrell, who is temporarily handing the reins over to defence coach Simon Easterby as he focuses on preparing for this summer’s British and Irish Lions tour to Australia.
Ireland vs England date, kick-off time and venue
Ireland vs England takes place on Saturday February 1, 2025, with kick-off scheduled for 4:45pm GMT at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
How to watch Ireland vs England
TV channel: Saturday’s contest is being broadcast live and free-to-air in the UK on ITV1, with coverage beginning at 4pm GMT.
Live stream: Fans can also catch live coverage of the game online via ITVX, which is free with a registration.
Live blog: Follow the action on matchday with Standard Sport’s live blog.
Ireland vs England team news
Leinster’s Sam Prendergast, 21, is fit to face England after a dead leg, picked to start at fly-half for Ireland over Munster rival Jack Crowley after finishing the autumn with the No10 shirt.
The hosts are once again without star tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong, who missed the whole autumn series with a hamstring issue and is now dealing with a recurring calf injury suffered during a pre-tournament training camp in Portugal. Finlay Bealham deputises once again, while third-choice Tom O’Toole is suspended.
Tadhg Beirne has moved into the second row to cover the late absence of the injured Joe McCarthy, with Ryan Baird operating at blindside flanker. Garry Ringrose replaces Robbie Henshaw in midfield.
Hooker Dan Sheehan and wing James Lowe are back fit in a major boost for Easterby, with Lowe starting and Sheehan on the bench.
Harlequins star Cadan Murley makes his debut ahead of the likes of Ollie Sleightholme – who has been battling a knock – and Tom Roebuck on the left wing, with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso sidelined after shoulder surgery.
Alex Mitchell’s return from a knee problem is huge for England after he missed the autumn series with a neck injury, and he resumes his half-back pairing with Marcus Smith, who is preferred to Fin Smith and George Ford at 10.
Key absentee: Ireland will once again be without Tadhg Furlong, but James Lowe returns
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Itoje and George Martin is an established lock partnership, as is the centre duo of Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade. Freddie Steward starts at full-back with George Furbank absent with a fractured arm, while Tommy Freeman is on the right wing.
It’s a powerful bench from Borthwick, who has opted for a 6-2 split with only scrum-half Harry Randall and Fin Smith covering the backs. The reserve forwards include Saracens’ in-form No8 Tom Willis, who is poised to earn just his second cap.
England’s other injury absentees for the weekend include the likes of Jack van Poortvliet, Alex Dombrandt and Alex Coles.
Ireland vs England lineups
Ireland XV: Keenan; Hansen, Ringrose, Aki, Lowe; Prendergast, Gibson-Park; Porter, Kelleher, Bealham; Ryan, Beirne; Baird, Van der Flier, Doris (c)
Replacements: Sheehan, Healy, Clarkson, Henderson, Conan, Murray, Crowley, Henshaw
England XV: Steward; Freeman, Lawrence, Slade, Murley; M Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Stuart; Itoje (c), Martin; T Curry, B Curry, Earl
Replacements: Dan, Baxter, Heyes, Chessum, Cunningham-South, Willis, Randall, F Smith
Ireland vs England head to head (h2h) history and results
England’s last-gasp 23-22 win at Twickenham last year ended a run of four straight defeats against Ireland, dating back to the 2021 Six Nations.
England have not beaten Ireland in Dublin since the 2019 tournament, when an Eddie Jones side inflicted the hosts’ first home loss in the Six Nations for some six years in a massively physical encounter.
Ireland vs England prediction
There is no easing into this year’s Six Nations for England, who will have to hit the ground running immediately in a bid not to open with back-to-back defeats to pile more pressure on Borthwick before they host Scotland looking to avoid a fifth successive Calcutta Cup loss.
Ireland won’t be short on confidence as the double defending champions and have history in their sights, though it will be intriguing to see how seamless the transition can be between Farrell and Easterby.
Results needed: England head coach Steve Borthwick enters the Six Nations under pressure
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England will hope that their opponents’ error-strewn loss to the All Blacks and only narrow wins over Argentina and Australia in a bit of an underwhelming autumn showing will prove more than just a minor regression, though it is likely to be wishful thinking.
Ireland to win, by seven points.
Ireland vs England match odds
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
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