Ireland v England - Teams and Prediction
ROUND ONE PREVIEW: Sam Prendergast will be in the spotlight when Ireland start their quest for an unprecedented third successive Six Nations title against England in Dublin on Saturday.
The 21-year-old has been selected to start at flyhalf by interim Ireland coach Simon Easterby, with Jack Crowley on the bench.
Munster’s Crowley featured throughout Ireland’s title-winning campaign last year but fell behind Prendergast during the November internationals, with Ireland looking for a successor to retired star Johnny Sexton.
Crowley appeared to be the heir to Sexton following the 2023 World Cup only for Leinster rising star Prendergast, who made his Test debut as a replacement in Ireland’s win over Argentina in November, to start in the subsequent victories over Fiji and Australia.
But if those games were the audition, this weekend’s match at Lansdowne Road is very much the first night for Prendergast, passed fit despite training with a heavily strapped leg.
“We felt like he did really well in November,” said Easterby ahead of his first game in charge of Ireland, with head coach Andy Farrell seconded to the British and Irish Lions.
“We feel like he’s the right man this weekend to lead the team. He’s a lot of experience around him.”
The story continues below…
England put faith in Smith
England coach Steve Borthwick has opted for Marcus Smith instead of Fin Smith in the key role, deciding against an all-Northampton halfback pairing of fit-again scrum-half Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith.
Borthwick’s men won just five out of 12 Tests in 2024, a sequence that included five straight defeats, with their game-awareness called into question.
But England were the only side to beat Ireland in last year’s Six Nations as they denied the eventual champions a Grand Slam.
England go into this year’s edition with lock Maro Itoje succeeding Jamie George as captain.
Luke Cowan-Dickie takes over at hooker from George, sidelined by a hamstring strain.
But Borthwick’s most eye-catching selection involves Tom and Ben Curry, who will become the first twin brothers to play for England when the 26-year-old Sale duo fill the flank positions on either side of No.8 Ben Earl.
Borthwick’s desire for a dynamic loose forward trio leaves him without a specialist line-out jumper in his back row, a potential weakness the former England lock feels Ireland will be keen to exploit.
“I am sure [Ireland forwards coach] Paul O’Connell and the Irish line-out will look at this and try to attack us in that area,” said Borthwick. “We will have to be very good.”
Ireland, however, will be without Joe McCarthy after the lock suffered a head injury in training. Tadhg Beirne has been moved into the second row in McCarthy’s absence, with Ryan Baird now starting at blindside flank.
England have not finished higher than third since last winning the Six Nations in 2020 and they arrive in Dublin with an off-field crisis engulfing the Rugby Football Union.
Bill Sweeney, the RFU CEO, will face a no-confidence vote in March after it emerged he was paid £1.1 million ($1.4 million) for the 2023/24 financial year, which included a bonus of £358,000, despite the RFU reporting a record annual operating loss of £37.9 million and 42 staff being made redundant.
“It’s not something that we’ve discussed in camp,” said former England captain Borthwick.
“We’re on the eve of the Six Nations; we are playing against one of the world’s best teams in Dublin, and in this incredible tournament. That’s what is on the players’ minds.”
🌍 Where in the World will you be watching this weekend’s matches ⌚️#Breitling #SquadOnAMission @Breitling pic.twitter.com/n0LLc28UWW
— Guinness Men’s Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) January 30, 2025
Players to watch
For Ireland: Flyhalf Sam Prendergast, 21, has been selected for his Six Nations debut ahead of Jack Crowley, a mainstay of last year’s title-winning team but now on the bench. Saturday’s match will be the most high-profile game of Prendergast’s career, with Ireland looking to avenge a narrow loss to England at Twickenham last year that denied them a Grand Slam. Interim Ireland coach Simon Easterby has also recalled Ryan Baird to the back row, with Garry Ringrose preferred to Leinster teammate Robbie Henshaw at outside centre. Baird’s inclusion means Tadhg Beirne switches to the second row, with Joe McCarthy ruled out through injury.
For England: Tom and Ben Curry will become the first twin brothers to play for England. The 26-year-olds, who both play for English Premiership club Sale, will fill the flank positions on either side of No.8 Ben Earl. Harlequins wing Cadan Murley will make his debut after being given the nod ahead of Ollie Sleightholme, who filled the position in England’s most recent outing against Japan in November. Alex Mitchell has recovered from a knee problem to start at scrumhalf, with Marcus Smith at flyhalf and Freddie Steward at fullback.
Head-to-Head
Last 5 Meetings
Prediction
@rugby365com: Ireland by eight points.
Teams:
Ireland: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (captain), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Ryan Baird, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 James Ryan, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter.
Replacements: 16 Dan Sheehan, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Robbie Henshaw.
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Cadan Murley, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Ben Curry, 6 Tom Curry, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje (captain), 3 Will Stuart, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ellis Genge.
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Tom Willis, 22 Harry Randall, 23 Fin Smith.
Date: Saturday, February 1
Venue: Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Kick-off: 16.45 (16.45 GMT)
Expected weather: It will be cloudy with a moderate breeze. The temperature will be around 7°C with a chance of rain.
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: James Doleman (New Zealand) & Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
AFP & @rugby365com
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