England 23 Ireland 22 (full-time)
Our first piece of post-match copy. Johnny Watterson rates the Irish players after the defeat.
[ England 23 Ireland 22: How the Irish players rated at TwickenhamOpens in new window ]
We definitely didn’t underestimate them, we saw what they were capable of in the World Cup. We’re going to have to dust ourselves off quickly. We felt they fired a lot of shots in that first half, we were content being up at half-time but they kept going in that second half.
— Caelan Doris
Join us for a post-match discussion on Twitter which will take place in the next few minutes. Gordon D’Arcy and John O’Sullivan our the men for us in Twickenham.
Here is that Marcus Smith drop-goal. It wasn’t quite as nerveless as it could be, given England had penalty advantage from a very kickable position, but still, kudos to him for slotting that while off-balance.
Wow. Comfortably the best England performance of the Steve Borthwick era. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was immense, as was George Martin in that English pack, vindicating the selection calls made by their boss.
England were full value for their win. They did well to take the punches thrown at them by England to be in a winning position heading into the closing stages, but ultimately, no one can complain about that result.
ENGLAND BEAT IRELAND AT TWICKENHAM
England snatch it at the death! Marcus Smith hits a drop-goal with the clock in the red and Ireland’s Grand Slam hopes are dead. Wow, what a game, what a night, what a performance from England. Ireland will still be favourites to win the title next weekend but what a deflating loss that is for Andy Farrell’s side.
79 mins: Ireland win the lineout, going to the tail in a risky, but effective move. Murray finds touch with the clearance. England will have one last attack from the Irish 10m line.
Jack Conan is down getting treatment... it looks to be a shoulder issue but he’s gotten back up to get into the lineout.
78 mins: Oh my word, what was Danny Care doing there? Marcus Smith made a trademark break and is hauled down inside the 22. Care runs at a retreating line but kicks straight into an Irish body. Ireland can clear but Lowe keeps it on the park!
England go wide but the scramble from Gibson-Park, Conan and Murray shunt England into touch. They have less than two minutes to survive here...
75 mins: Decision time for England. Henderson doesn’t roll away on halfway and the penalty is definitely out of Marcus Smith’s range. However, Elliot Daly and his long range boot is on the park. He’s going to go for it! Huge moment...
He’s missed! 15m in from touch on halfway, Daly needed to give that an almighty whack. He did, but he’s pulled it well wide. Another let-off for Ireland.
TRY JAMES LOWE
Ireland score in the corner again! Off the lineout, the maul sucks in enough defenders for when the ball goes wide. Aki’s tip pass is a beauty, and with quick ball, Gibson-Park shovels the pass before getting nailed. It’s Lowe vs Marcus Smith in the corner, no contest there and Ireland are back in front.
Crowley pushes the touchline conversion wide. Ireland lead by 2!
71 mins: Ireland need a spark and they get it. Smith is chopped down by Baird and Porter and Kelleher immediately clamp on over the ball, winning the breakdown penalty. Crowley’s kick is a beauty, finding touch 10m from the England line.
Ireland make another change, Healy on for Porter.
69 mins: Gibson-Park calls for a mark after an overhit Care quick. He finds an excellent touch past halfway. The good news for Ireland is O’Mahony’s card has elapsed. He’s been replaced by Ryan Baird.
68 mins: Ben Earl is taking over this game for England. Ireland look to have a good opportunity as Aki smashes Daly to win the ball back. However, Keenan gets isolated in the carry and Earl gets in over the ball to win the penalty.
66 mins: Keenan thinks he’s in but there is a belated knock-on call. Itoje ripped the ball out of Gibson-Park’s hands in the build-up, so England get a scrum.
Another change for the home side, Elliot Daly is on for slade. Alex Dombrandt also enters the fray, Chessum departing. Danny Care is on for his 100th cap as he replaces Mitchell.
63 mins: Ireland get a penalty at a lineout. Itjoe plays the Irish jumper Doris in the air. Crowley kicks down the line, giving Ireland a lineout inside the 22.
However, the play comes to nothing. An inside ball to Henshaw could have led to a line break, but it was an unsympathetic pass. Henshaw can’t hang on and England clear.
61 mins: Andy Farrell rings the changes. Sheehan, Furlong, McCarthy and van der Flier are replaced by Kelleher, Bealham, Henderson and Conan.
TRY BEN EARL
England hit the front with eight minutes still left on the O’Mahony card! Ireland look to have knocked England back thanks to a tackle from Keenan flying out of the line, but eventually the power is too much. With Ireland scrambling, Earl dives over from close range and Smith converts.
YELLOW CARD PETER O’MAHONY
Ben Earl breaks brilliantly and is eventually hauled down in the 22. O’Mahony kills the ball and that is an easy decision for the referee, a linebreak and he plays the ball off his feet, he’s off for 10. England kick to the corner and bring on Marcus Smith at 10 instead of Ford.
57 mins: Ireland lose the initial lineout but an England hand batted it into touch. Off the second, Gibson-Park and Aki cross wires and the ball spills forward. Both sides exchange kicks, with the result being an Ireland lineout just beyond halfway.
56 mins: A break for Ireland. Feyi-Waboso does brilliantly to take a high ball inside his own 22 under pressure from Keenan, but the following clearance from Ford is dreadful. There isn’t a lot of pressure on him, but he pulls the ball badly, gifting Ireland a lineout inside the England 22.
News has filtered through that Frawley will not come back on. Gibson-Park is on the wing for the remainder of this one.
54 mins: That’s rash from Feyi-Waboso. Referee Amashukeli tells him not to compete for the ball at the ruck, his hands are on the floor but he does so anyway. On replay, I’m not sure it was the right call but you have to listen to the official, who did warn him before awarding the penalty. Crowley kicks play up towards the 22.
Meanwhile England change their entire frontrow, Dann, Marler and Stuart on for George, Genge and Cole.
50 mins: Ireland contest well at the restart and Itoje spills in the air. Ireland try to play a few phases but the blitz catches Crowley, meaning we go back for the scrum. It’s in a good position close to the England 22.
Ireland are in trouble, though. Frawley needs to go for a HIA. Gibson-Park goes to the wing, Murray comes on at 9 and Keenan goes back to fullback.
England get a let-off as Ireland give away a free-kick for an early engagement at the scrum.
TRY GEORGE FURBANK
Wow. What a game this is. England hit back almost immediately. Freeman goes close initially but Frawley knocks him into touch as he looks to offload. Play continues and Ireland clear, but do not find touch. Martin and Itoje link up running at Ireland’s frontrow, and with the defence not set, Furbank takes the space to speed off. Ford lines up a conversion from a reasonably side position and he shanks it badly wide. That’s three kicks he’s missed now.
TRY JAMES LOWE
Wow. What a score from Ireland. Keenan wins a high ball and Ireland go from there. Crowley dummies to beat the rush beautifully, sending Doris through the gap. Aki takes it up then, feeding Frawley who then sends Lowe through. He then dives into the corner for the perfect start to the half.
Crowley misses the conversion from the touchline.
42 mins: Ireland are very slow off the line defensively. England make a lot of ground but can’t do anything with it. A side entry from Lawrence gives up a penalty, he was trying to clear out van der Flier who was lurking going after the ball.
41 mins: Right then, the second half is underway. George Ford kicks into the 22 where Aki takes, albeit via a fumble under pressure from Feyi-Waboso. The teams exchange kicks but Crowley spills in the air attempting to gather a Ford high bomb.
Turns out there were some stern words exchanged between Andy Farrell and Steve Borthwick at half-time! I’m sure we’ll find out more about that later on. Meanwhile, the teams are back out for the second half.
The one try of the game so far came very early. There is an element of fortune in it. Because Nash comes flying off his wing, injuring himself in the process, Ireland have no numbers when England go down his flank. You could say Doris should have stayed in the line to help, instead of biting in to try and take Mitchell, but ultimately England ruthlessly cashed in on the gap left by an injured player.
Half-time: England 8 Ireland 12
England have had 56 per cent possession and 66 per cent territory. Add to that they’ve beaten more defenders and made more linebreaks than Ireland and it has been some performance.
Their ruck speed is lightning (68 per cent quicker than 3 seconds) and if it weren’t for a few handling errors, they could have created a few more opportunities. That said, Ireland have won four, massive turnovers. As much as England have forced them to bend, Andy Farrell’s defence has not broken.
To be four points up at half-time given that initial English onslaught is an excellent return. The big question is can England get to that emotional feverpitch again given they have been repelled so far?
40 mins: Ireland keep it very basic off the lineout and it works beautifully. Aki crashes up, then Sheehan shows the footwork before Doris’ deft pass opens half a gap. With three quick breakdowns, Ford and Martin are caught offside and Ireland get a penalty. It’ll be 8-12 at half-time and, given the way England have played, Ireland will be delighted.
38 mins: Furbank with a nightmare few minutes here. Lowe’s kicking to clear has been poor today, but this time he puts in a booming effort. Furbank gathers right on his own 22, but he then trods on the touchline. What a break for Ireland as they get a lineout in a good attacking position.
37 mins: England threaten again! Slade’s pullback to Feyi-Waboso opens Ireland up. Keenan comes rushing in as the last man to pressure Furbank, he can’t get there on time but the England fullback still spills. Last week, handling errors killed England and it’s cost them a big opportunity there.
35 mins: Ireland are in the lead. From just inside halfway, Crowley’s strike isn’t pretty but it finds its way over the bar.
34 mins: That’s brilliant from Aki. First of all he stops Chessum on a rampage, building up a head of steam with a big carry. Aki releases, is immediately in over the ball and survives a ferocious clearout to win the penalty. It leaves Jack Crowley with a long-range penalty to put Ireland into the lead.
Four turnovers for Ireland so far, none for England.
33 mins: Frawley takes back-to-back high bombs from Ford very well. On the second, he calls a mark before finding a good touch beyond halfway.
30 mins: Ireland are caught offside, Aki the guilty party. This is once again kickable for Ford. He points to the posts.
It’s about 40m out in a central position but he’s missed! That is what you call a shank. Ireland get away with one.
28 mins: Ireland get a big shove on Porter’s side of the scrum but won’t get a penalty as Doris fails to control the ball at the back of the scrum. Gibson-Park grubbers in behind, finding touch inside the 22. A penalty is given away at the lineout as Ireland close the gap early. England can clear easily from their own territory.
26 mins: Brilliant clearing kick from Gibson-Park. He finds a good touch off the scrum up towards halfway.
Off the lineout, Ireland finally get some momentum. Slade carries wide but is wrapped up by Henshaw and van der Flier. Amashukeli calls maul and Ireland win a scrum.
25 mins: Ollie Lawrence is over again! Lowe’s attempted clearance is blocked and England can run it back. Frawley fails to deal with a grubber through and Lawrence gathers and dots down. However, it looks like it was knocked on by Furbank in the scramble for the ball and we are going to check it.
NO TRY! Mercifully for Ireland, Furbank spilled the ball when trying to gather before Lawrence got on the end of it. Ireland have a scrum close to their own line.
24 mins: Wow, Beirne wins a turnover inches for the line. Ireland are caught napping by a short lineout to Earl but Sheehan makes a try-saving tackle. Beirne brilliantly spots that the ball squirts out and wins it back for Ireland.
22 mins: Ford tries a drop-goal out of nowhere but van der Flier blocks it down. England hang onto the ball and earn a penalty when Doris strays offside. England turn down the points and go to the corner!
21 mins: That’s a bad decision from Aki. He tries to run a kick-off out of the 22 and Chessum tackles him into touch. Not without cost, though, the England backrow now receiving treatment for a shoulder issue.
20 mins: Ireland get another penalty. Aki’s strong carry on first phase builds some momentum. Doris carries and Lawrence has a second bite at the ball on the floor, illegally so. Crowley has a simple kick coming up.
Ireland need a score to settle themselves and they have it, Crowley tapping it over from inside the 22.
18 mins: Ireland get a much-needed penalty. England’s kick chase is brilliant as it swarms around Jack Crowley, but George Martin plays the ball when he was told not to by the ref. It’s too far out to kick, but Ireland do get a lineout inside the 22.
Meanwhile Nash has failed his HIA. Frawley is on for the remainder, with Keenan at fullback.
16 mins: Penalty England! Aki fails to roll away and Amashukeli sticks out his arm. This is in a very kickable position.
No mistake, central position just outside the 22. England’s lead is out to five.
14 mins: Beirne steals a lineout brilliantly. Kick-tennis ensues, neither side making a lot of ground. Feyi-Waboso tries to break from deep. Earl then pops a beautiful offload as George scampers into the Ireland half. England now have it close to the 22.
12 mins: Problems for Ireland. The lineout goes awry as Sheehan’s throw is over the top of O’Mahony’s jump. England get continual quick ball phase after phase, stressing the defence. Keenan eventually mops up an attempted grubber through but he is shunted into touch. England lineout inside the 22.
Ireland survive. Mitchell snipes and makes half a break but spills forward when attempting to offload.
10 mins: Penalty Ireland! That’s a big defensive set. England’s first phase attack is dangerous after a big carry in midfield from Genge. Henshaw puts in an excellent tackle on Furbank to stop a potential try in the corner, then van der Flier does just enough to win a holding on penalty.
9 mins: Penalty England! First scrum of the day ends badly for Ireland. Porter collapses in and Furlong also goes to deck, Amashukeli gives England the decision. Slade finds a brilliant touch up inside the Ireland 22.
7 mins: Lightning start to this game. Ireland break from halfway as Aki’s deft handling beats the rush defence. Lowe sprints into the 22 where he offloads inside. Ireland look to shovel on a loose ball but Sheehan throws it forward. England do well to recover and force the error but Ireland got around their rush far too easily there.
TRY OLLIE LAWRENCE
England hit back immediately! Lowe’s kick doesn’t find touch and England counter. Nash initially comes flying up to shut the attack down but he’s hurt. That leaves space on his wing and England cash in beautifully, Slade releasing Lawrence down the flank to score in the corner.
Ford misses the conversion from the touchline but, in bad news for Ireland, Nash has to go for a HIA. Frawley is on at fullback and Keenan shifts to wing.
2 mins: Positive start for Ireland. England are keen to fly off the line with their bliz, but Ireland catch them with narrow carries. Van der Flier breaks with a pick and go and England then stray offside. Crowley has a kick under the posts after a penalty for England being offside.
He slots it and Ireland are on the board first.
1 min: Anthems done, here we go. NIka Amashukeli blows his whistle and Jack Crowley kicks us off! The ball goes long into the 22, where Mitchell gathers. He finds touch and Ireland have an early lineout on halfway.
My brain is fried from trying to work out the table permutations. The game hasn’t even started yet! We’re not far away, though, the teams are out for the anthems.
Right, let’s sort out the permutations for Ireland winning the championship.
Coming into this one, the line was Ireland needed a bonus point win. That was assuming Scotland beat Italy with a bonus point, so Italy winning has put the cat among the pigeons there.
Ireland are on 15 points, Scotland 11, England 8.
A draw or an Ireland win puts them out of sight, no matter what happens next week.
If England win with no try bonus point, they move to 12 points. If Ireland lose by less than 7 and score four tries in this scenario, they move to 17 and, given their superior points difference, would still be expected to wrap up the title given England could only match them for total points.
So, there is no scenario where Ireland mathematically wrap up the title with a defeat today, but if they secure two points of any kind, they are in a position that is all but unassailable.
Meanwhile, with England still kicking plenty these days - though not as much as they did at the World Cup - John O’Sullivan has a detailed breakdown of what they do when they kick and why it’s so effective.
“I remember watching a game with one of my buddies and saying: ‘Jeez, who is this kid?’ Like, the way he was moving, his explosiveness, his speed and his feet were just so impressive. Then obviously when I got the Young Munster gig I was licking my lips.”
— Gearóid Prendergast, Munster academy manager on Calvin Nash
[ Ireland’s Calvin Nash now fulfilling his considerable potentialOpens in new window ]
Once again back to the clash at Twickenham, the latest of our preview content is Gerry Thornley’s profile of Calvin Nash. The Munster wing earned an opportunity in this Six Nations after Mack Hansen and Jimmy O’Brien picked up injuries, but he has since grabbed it with both hands.
ITALY HAVE BEATEN SCOTLAND!
The Scots went through 20+ phases trying to win it at the death but Italy hold out in Rome. 31-29 is the final score. After the disappointment of their draw vs France, this is a huge day for Italian rugby.
Meanwhile, with two defeats now in the competition, Scotland’s title ambitions have been severely dented.
It also has implications for Ireland today. The equation was that Ireland needed a bonus point victory to win wrap up the championship today, but now they only need to prevent England from winning. A draw is all they need! Or, a defeat with both a four-try and a losing bonus point.
Meanwhile, Italy have scored again, this time through Stephen Varney. They now lead Scotland 28-22 with 20 minutes to go!
One for the stats/tactics nerds. From different ways to beating England’s blitz, to the battle of the breakdown to the aerial bombardment.
Read below for a tactical breakdown of how Ireland can win.
[ Six Nations: Five ways Ireland can beat England at TwickenhamOpens in new window ]
Today’s early game is quite high scoring classic. Louis Lynagh has just scored to narrow the gap to 21-22 in favour of the Scots over Italy.
Garbisi missed a conversion to put Italy in front!
England’s pack looks stacked with lineout threats, including Itoje, and bearing in mind the five scrum penalties the Irish pack conceded two years ago, they will surely go after Ireland’s set pieces.
It could also be the biggest test yet of Jack Crowley’s decision-making under the duress which Felix Jones’s blitz defence will try to impose.
— Gerry Thornley
Back to today’s events at Twickenham. Gerry Thornley has our main preview, looking particularly at the threats posed by this English side.
As for Ireland, they make one change to the side that beat Italy. Hugo Keenan is fit again and starts at fullback ahead of Ciarán Frawley, who drops to the bench.
Among the replacements, Finlay Bealham beats out Oli Jager in the tighthead slot while Frawley is the lone outside back given the 6-2 split. As a result, Garry Ringrose misses out despite being fit again, as does Stuart McCloskey even with his impressive bench cameos of late.
Before we get into the meat of today’s clash, the fixtures for next year’s competition have been announced. Today’s two sides will meet in Dublin in round one of 2025, while Ireland end their campaign in Rome on St Patrick’s weekend. There are worse cities to potentially celebrate in, if Ireland are once again in title contention.
[ Ireland to open 2025 Six Nations campaign at home to EnglandOpens in new window ]
Let’s start with the team news. Beginning with the hosts, England.
The’ve made a number of changes to the team that lost to Scotland last time out. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso starts on the wing instead of Elliot Daly, a move which will suit Felix Jones’ blitz defence. Feyi-Waboso is both quicker than Daly and more accustomed to the system given his club, Exeter, use it at club level.
Alex Mitchell is fit again and starts at scrumhalf, while George Martin adds some significant bulk to the secondrow. Ollie Chessum shifts to blindside flanker while Ethan Roots drops out of the squad altogether.
We’re into the home straight now. After another down week in the Six Nations, Ireland are back in action over the next two weekends with the Grand Slam on the line.
Good afternoon all and welcome to live coverage of Ireland’s clash with England at Twickenham. My name is Nathan Johns and I’ll be guiding you through all the action as it happens. Ireland know a bonus point win today will wrap up the championship title with a Triple Crown and Grand Slam on the line next weekend vs Scotland in Dublin.
An English win would blow the competition wide open, leaving Steve Borthwick’s side and Scotland still interested heading into the final round of action.
Ireland are favourites, but England at Twickenham is never easy. Kick-off is at 4.45pm, but feel free to get in touch on Twitter (@nathanrjohns) as we build up to the action.
