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.
Ireland are the reigning champions looking to become the first rugby team ever to win three Six Nations titles in a row and will be out for revenge against England after their dreams of historic back-to-back Grand Slams were dashed by Marcus Smith’s dramatic last-gasp drop goal last March.
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
Ireland have played down injury fears over Sam Prendergast, who wore strapping during a training session at their pre-tournament camp in Portugal on Monday before backs coach Andrew Goodman later confirmed he was suffering from a dead leg.
Prendergast is expected to be fit to face England, with a decision to make for Ireland over whether he or Jack Crowley gets the nod at fly-half.
Ireland are once again without star tighthead prop Tadgh Furlong, who missed the whole autumn series with a hamstring issue and is now dealing with a recurring calf injury suffered in Portugal. Finlay Bealham should deputise once again, while Tom O’Toole is suspended.
Hooker Dan Sheehan and wing James Lowe are back fit in a major boost for Easterby, who will name his first team on Thursday.
England counterpart Borthwick confirmed his own selection two days early on Tuesday, springing a surprise by naming both Curry twins - Tom and Ben - in the back row alongside Ben Earl, with the brothers starting an international match together for the very first time.
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.
Jamie George - replaced by Maro Itoje as captain after only a year - is out with a hamstring injury, so Luke Cowan-Dickie starts at hooker and Ellis Genge takes on vice-captain duties, with the front row completed by Will Stuart.
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 include the likes of Jack van Poortvliet, Alex Dombrandt and Alex Coles.
Ireland vs England lineups
Ireland XV: TBC
Replacements: TBC
England XV: Steward; Freeman, Lawrence, Slade, Murley; M Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Stuart; Itoje, 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 wins: 53
England wins: 81
Draws: 8
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.
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
Ireland to win: 4/11
England to win: 12/5
Draw: 20/1
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
