Ireland Vs England Preview, Prediction, Team News And Confirmed Lineups Ahead Of Six Nations Clash 403xo

Ireland Vs England Preview 4p2ni

Round one of this year’s Guinness Six Nations sees Ireland host England in Dublin at the Aviva Stadium.

Tournament favourites Ireland are without head coach Andy Farrell, who is away preparing to lead the British & Irish Lions on their summer tour to Australia.

Instead, defence coach Simon Easterby is stepping up to the main job temporarily and faces a big task in beating England on the opening weekend.

Steve Borthwick’s side have struggled to see out close games in recent months, losing narrowly to South Africa, Australia and three times to New Zealand.

But there have been encouraging signs for England. Not least of all was their dramatic, last-gasp victory over Ireland in last year’s Six Nations at Twickenham.

Marcus Smith’s drop goal with the clock in the red saw England win 23-22 in one of the games of the tournament.

But it’s Ireland who are fancied to win both Saturday’s game and the whole competition.

The best UK rugby betting sites put Ireland as 2/5 favourites against England, who are rated at 13/5.

If you want to watch Ireland Vs England on TV, the game kicks off at 16:45 GMT and is being shown live on ITV1 in the UK.

For a detailed breakdown of the two sides’ head-to-head record, check out our Ireland Vs England stats article here.

Ireland Vs England Team News f3f2x

Ireland:

Our team to face England in Saturday's Guinness Men's Six Nations opener! 👊#TeamOfUs

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) January 30, 2025

Leinster fly-half Sam Prendergast starts for Ireland, keeping his place from the side’s last two November tests.

The 21-year-old will make his Six Nations debut on Saturday, with Munster’s Jack Crowley on the bench.

Ryan Baird comes into the back row, meaning Tadhg Beirne moves into the second row alongside James Ryan, with Joe McCarthy out.

Gary Ringrose gets the nod in the centres ahead of Robbie Henshaw, and partners Bundee Aki.

At hooker, Dan Sheehan returns to the bench from a lengthy lay-off, with Ronan Kelleher starting.

Andrew Porter and Finaly Bealham Kelleher in the front row, with Bealham in for the injured Tadhg Furlong.

England: 

Your England team to face Ireland 👊

Steve Borthwick has named his 23-player squad for our #GuinnessM6N opener on Saturday.@O2 | #WearTheRose | #IREvENG

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) January 28, 2025

England start Sale Sharks twins Tom and Ben Curry together for the first time.

The back row pair Saracens’ Ben Earl, with Tom Willis and Chandler Cunningham-South on the bench.

Harlequins winger Cadan Murley will earn his first cap, coming in for the injured Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.

Exeter’s Feyi-Waboso dislocated his shoulder and is likely out for the tournament.

Scrum-half Alex Mitchell returns in a huge boost to Steve Borthwick’s side, and partners Quins fly-half Marcus Smith.

Mitchell’s Northampton teammate Fin Smith is on the bench, meaning England name a squad without one of George Ford or Owen Farrell for the first time since 2011.

Freddie Steward starts at fullback, with George Furbank injured, while Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence continue their midfield partnership.

New skipper Maro Itoje and George Martin are the locks, while Luke Cowan-Dickie comes in at hooker in place of former captain Jamie George, who misses out with a hamstring problem.

Ireland Vs England Confirmed Lineups 6o2u6l

Ireland: Keenan; Hansen, Ringrose, Aki, Lowe; Prendergast, Gibson-Park; Porter, Kelleher, Bealham; Ryan, Beirne; Baird, Van der Flier, Doris (capt).

Replacements: Sheehan, Healy, Clarkson, Henderson, Conan, Murray, Crowley, Henshaw.

England: Steward; Freeman, Lawrence, Slade, Murley; M Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Stuart, Itoje (capt), Martin, T Curry, B Curry, Earl

Replacements: Dan, Baxter, Heyes, Chessum, Cunningham-South, Willis, Randall, F Smith

Ireland Vs England Prediction 6e5yx

While the odds favour Ireland, there’s no doubting the challenge England will bring.

There’s little to split these two sides, but home advantage might be enough to get Ireland over the line.

England’s inability to close out tight games has been their achilles heel in recent times, while the Irish haven’t been at their best during the autumn.

We think this one could go either way, but believe Ireland are more likely to nick it on home soil.

Prediction: Ireland 22-18 England