England and Ireland 'A' sides to square off in 2025

NEWS: The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has confirmed that the England A side will face Ireland A at Ashton Gate Stadium in February 2025.

The clash will take place on Sunday, February 23 at 13.00 GMT – with match broadcasting information to be confirmed in due course.

Ashton Gate has already been announced as the host venue for two quarterfinals and both semifinals of the Women’s World Cup in September 2025.

This follows on from a record attendance in March when 19,705 people made it through the turnstiles for the Red Roses’ Women’s Six Nations clash against Wales – the highest attended home fixture outside of Twickenham Stadium for the Womens’ national team.

Confirmation of next February’s match comes after the announcement of England A taking on Australia A in the upcoming international window on November 17 at the Twickenham Stoop.

The England A Men’s side was reintroduced earlier on in 2024 with a clash against Portugal at Welford Road – with the hosts claiming a 91-5 result where some of the brightest young talent capped in the England Men’s pathway and Premiership taking to the field.

With capped senior players such as Tom Pearson, Harry Randall, and Fin Baxter all involved back in February – the England A side provides a platform for players transitioning from the Premiership and pathway U20 level to the senior men’s team.

A coaching team consisting of personnel from across the Premiership and England Rugby will be selected by the RFU in consultation with Premiership Rugby – with the selection of the match day 23 determined by senior men’s head coach – Steve Borthwick and RFU Executive Director of Performance, Connor O’Shea.

The last time these sides met was back in 2015 when they were known as the Saxons and Wolfhounds respectively, in a clash that saw current England senior international Henry Slade contribute 13 points in a 18-9 win at Musgrave Park, Cork.

Conor O’Shea said: “Next year’s game is a fantastic development opportunity for the respective unions, each of whom possesses some of the most exciting young prospects in the game.

“Our aim is to have consistent gametime in each international period for our emerging players. This fixture, alongside the Australia A game, is testament to the work being put in to ensure there is a window of opportunity for players and coaches outside of the England senior men’s set-up.

“We look forward to welcoming Ireland’s players and staff to Ashton Gate in 2025. It is a fantastic stadium worthy of hosting what promises to be a memorable occasion for all involved.”

Ross Wormald, Operations Director for Ashton Gate Ltd, said: “It is a testament to Ashton Gate’s impressive track record of delivering international events that the stadium has been selected to host England A vs Ireland A in February 2025.

“With the stadium also hosting both the semifinals and two quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup, 2025 is set to be an incredible year for the stadium and our highly-skilled team are looking forward to delivering the best experience for fans, players and coaches when we welcome England A and Ireland A in February.”