Thank you for your company. It’s been a good day for Ireland. All roads lead to Edinburgh, the high and the low in what promises to be a cracking contest.
Ireland take on Scotland, 31-19 winners over Italy, at Murrayfield next Sunday.
Simon Easterby on being the head honcho in Andy Farrell’s absence: “It’s a challenge, I’m lucky I’ve got some really good people with me. Some interesting language at times, but we found a way.
”We made the substitutions at a pretty good time, just at the end of the first 10 minutes of the second half and they came on and made a big impact. It’s tough, in chatting to the lads, it’s a Six Nations opening game against England, it’s not going to be easy.
”We had to grind it out, we had to find a way. It was challenging in the contact, it was challenging in the air and that was mapped out by their selection, but as much as we felt we left things out there and our accuracy could have been better, the score-line looking at it now, 27-22, is disappointing because we conceded a couple of late tries.”
“But we would have taken large chunks of that performance before hand and the result, it’s never going to be perfect. So, lots to work on.”
Gerry Thornley’s match report is in.
[ The Simon Easterby interim reign is up and running in hugely encouraging style.Opens in new window ]
England captain Maro Itoje: “Look the first half was very good, the second half we didn’t execute the game plan in terms of field position and territory. We played really well in the first half. Overall, in terms of how I found the captaincy it was fine. There were large parts of our game that we took a step forward, the energy we had on the field and the vibrancy in attack.”
England head coach Steve Borthwick: “Firstly immense credit to Ireland. While huge congrats to Ireland and respect to them for their performance. I have hugely proud of the team for the way they came back and scored those two (late) tries.
“I think it is also right to acknowledge the defensive effort. The team has improved. I think it is a step forward in attack. To be clear we want to win every game, and we are disappointed we didn’t do that.
“Ireland are a world class team and have been world class for so long. That experience told in the third quarter. I thought the change at 10, he (Jack Crowley) played really well in that final quarter.
Johnny Watterson’s player ratings are in. He’s got out his green rather than red biro. Hugo Keenan, Garry Ringrose, Jamison Gibson-Park get 9/10.
The thoughts of Ireland captain Caelan Doris.
Ireland’s interim head coach Simon Easterby starts his tenure with a win, based on a brilliant second half performance from his team. His timing of the replacements provided the home side with the impetus to kick on. England started and finished the game superbly, scoring the first try and the last two that earned Steve Borthwick’s side a losing bonus point.
Full-time: Ireland 27 England 22
78 mins: Conan is denied a try by an illegal tackle, (no arms/wrap) from Murley but no Irish supporter really cares at this point. Lowe again made the break. He’s been Ireland’s best attacking threat.
Ireland 27 England 15
80(+2) mins: TRY, Freeman. Ireland slip off a couple of tackles, Freeman profits, Smith converts. That will annoy the Irish coaches, conceding those two late tries have allowed England a bonus point but it’ll be a minor gripe when weighed against the second half performance. Ireland were superb for all bar the last five minutes. Lowe, Gibson-Park, Kelleher were standout performers, Ringrose made some great reads in defence, Aki scored a great try, while Dan Sheehan, another try scorer, Jack Conan and Jack Crowley made an impact from the bench.
Man of the match, Jamison Gibson-Park: It’s awesome isn’t it? It’s great to be back in front of our fans and get a win. England stuck it to us in the first half, they (England) are a quality side full of quality players.
75 mins: Gibson-Park gets the official man of the match award, as he is replaced by Conor Murray.
76 mins: Tom Curry try, good finish after Ollie Lawrence’s footwork leaves an Irish tackler on the deck and Murley provides the scoring pass to the hard working flanker.
Ireland 27 England 15
71 mins: TRY, Sheehan. Conan with a superb break, Ireland recycle. Sheehan whips out a long pass to LOwe, who once again leaves an England defender, this time Freeman floundering on the turf, and he looks inside, as Ireland’s replacement hooker supporters the break and rides the last tackle to stretch over for a try. Crowley kicks a superb conversion. That’s the bonus point try.
Ireland 27 England 10
67 mins: Brilliant offload from Crowley, lovely nudge through from Keenan and Murley for some reason doesn’t touch down and instead is bundled into touch. England survive, Conan and Crowley surge but after the latter is grounded, England win a breakdown penalty two metres from their line. The home side lacked composure, two more phases and they would have walked in a fourth try. Fin Smith and Harry Randall have been on for a couple of minutes, Mitchell and Steward depart. Fin Baxter on for Genge.
Ireland 20 England 10
63 mins: TRY, Beirne. A gorgeous strike move. Chapeau tip to backs coach Andrew Goodman. Gibson-Park times his pass perfectly to Lowe who shoots through a gap on the open side of a ruck. Ireland’s left wing runs 30 metres and links with Beirne, the secondrow scampers over unopposed. Crowley takes on the conversion.
Ireland 20 England 10
62 mins: Cunningham South hits Keenan in the air, Ireland kick the penalty down the touchline and from a ruck in midfield, they cut England to shreds.
60 mins: Great chase from Keenan forces Steward to slice his clearance but Doris doesn’t hold Henshaw’s pass; a little fault on both sides. Iain Henderson for James Ryan. England win a free-kick at a scrum, a brake-foot hooker issue.
Ireland 13 England 10
59 mins: Chandler Cunning South for Ben Curry, Ollie Chessum for Martin, Heyes for Stuart.
57 mins: Henshaw is back in again this time for try-scorer, Aki and the first thing he does is steal a ball at the breakdown. Jack Crowley is on for Prendergast. Thomas Clarkson for Bealham.
Ireland 13 England 10
54 mins: England’s discipline has gone a little, Smith pushed Keenan under a high ball and then after Sheehan overthrows a lineout, Itoje is pinged for a push on replacement, Jack Conan. Prendergast lands his first kick of the game, a penalty, beautifully struck. Ireland take the lead. Tom Willis and Theo Dan are on for Earl and Cowan-Dickie.
Ireland 13 England 10
51 mins: TRY, Aki. Brilliant rifle pass from Prendergast to Aki and the Irish centre runs through Smith and Carries two other England players over the line. It took some scoring but the Connacht man was up to the task. Prendergast misses the conversion.
Ireland 10 England 10
46 mins: England concede a free-kick for pre-engage, Kelleher makes metres but when Ireland go wide, Mitchell makes a brilliant cover tackle on Keenan when it looked like the Ireland fullback had the angle on him. Ireland are on penalty advantage. There’s a bit of pushing and shoving after the whistle goes. Referee O’Keeffe scolds the two captains, Doris and Itoje: “Anyone who pushes and shoves after the whistle will go. Talk to your players.” Prendergast kicks to the corner.
Kelleher again withstands the first tackle as he peels round the back of the lineout but the the clear-out isn’t there and England nick possession. Another Ireland chance goes abegging. Dan Sheehan is on for Kelleher, who has been brilliant. Prendergast goes to stab the ball through but it goes a little far. Murley slices the clearance and Ireland have a lineout inside the England 22.
Ireland 5 England 10
43 mins: Murley fumbles a high ball from Gibson-Park and although he initially escapes his in-goal area, the next carry is grounded in the in-goal area and Ireland are awarded a five metre scrum. It’s re-set after a collapse.
Ireland 5 England 10
41 mins: Tom Curry with another turnover and then Baird is pinged for offside. Not the start Ireland were looking for but a scrum penalty gives them back possession. Ellis Genge penalised.
Ireland 5 England 10
Prendergast gets the second half under way.
England dominated the first quarter, physically on top in all facets of the game before Ireland finally got a foothold. Beirne’s transgression, grabbing hold of Itoje’s foot, that saw the outstanding Rónan Kelleher’s try chalked off was disappointing as was some of the defensive work and tackling from the home side. Loose kicking didn’t help. There were bright moments too, Lowe’s all-round influence, Gibson-Park’s brilliant finish for his try when England were a man down with Smith in the bin, but Ireland will need to recalibrate at the breakdown. Ireland lost three of 55 rucks, England, one of 50.
Ireland have missed 17 of 94 tackles and that’s a stat that will need to improve. Ryan Baird has been involved in some very positive moments going forward, Kelleher has been superb but the home side will want more of the pack to carry more. The home side will need greater subterfuge in their attack, perhaps picking the front door on a few more occasions but going out the back. Ireland will need to be vigilant in terms of the aerial game.
Half-time: Ireland 5 England 10
39 mins: Smith is back and England make an immediate impact, Earl with a superb break, Baird caught out, that requires a superb tackle from Keenan on the threshold of the Ireland 22. The home side cough up a penalty. Smith kicks it.
Ireland 5 England 10
37 mins: Joe Heyes on for England tighthead prop Will Stuart (HIA)
34 mins: TRY, Jamison Gibson-Park. Superb strength from Lowe to shrug off Alex Mitchell on the touchline, and he passes inside to Gibson-Park. The Irish scrumhalf then steps Steward beautifully before accelerating over for a brilliant try. Prendergast misses the conversion. Not a good kick.
Ireland 5 England 7
31 mins: Lovely flick on pass from Ringrose, great line from Keenan and again the home side force England to concede a penalty. They go to the corner. Freddie Steward with what looked like a foot trip that denies Lowe as he steps inside. No whistle. Another win for the visitors as Keenan knocks on.
Ireland 0 England 7
28 mins: England’s pressure beginning to yield multiple penalties at the breakdown. However Ireland are starting to find a rhythm and Prendergast on the loop gets Hansen a run and when they recycle, a couple of flawed decisions cost Ireland what looked like a great try scoring chance. Josh van der Flier cut back when the better option might have been to link with Hansen and support. Aki over ran his line seconds later and England survive in their 22 again when an Irish hand knocks on.
25 mins: Ireland with their most cohesive sequence of play, culminates with a great run by Ryan Baird deep inside the England 22. The visitors transgress, Marcus Smith is sent to the sin bin but Ireland are then penalised for crossing and England are able to relieve the pressure. Another win for the visitors so to speak. How much are Ireland going to regret having a try chalked off and then spurning another great attacking platform.
Ireland 0 England 7
23 mins: Beirne wins a penalty turnover. England’s kicking game has been first class.
17 mins: Ireland are struggling to come to terms with England’s physicality and they have been second best in the collisions and looking a little spooked. The home side are also a little off, in terms of their defensive alignment. England making breaks and Ireland holding on by their fingernails. Ferocious clear-out on Beirne. Nothing untoward according to the officials.
Ireland 0 England 7
15 mins: Ireland thought they had scored a try through Rónan Kelleher but after the intervention of the TMO Glenn Newman, Tadhg Beirne is correctly penalised for grabbing a leg and impeding the defender. That’s frustrating for the home side. Hansen is back on the pitch.
Ireland 0 England 7
13 mins: James Lowe goes close twice, first latching on to Henshaw’s clever grubber and then to within inches of the England line after Ireland’s lineout maul was stopped short. England concede three penalties in quick succession and referee Ben O’Keeffe warns the England captain Maro Itoje.
Ireland 0 England 7
9 mins: TRY, Cadan Murley. The Harlequins wing on debut latches on to Smith’s beautifully judged grubber kick. The outhalf adds the conversion.
Ireland 0 England 7
7 mins: Bright from Sam Prendergast, a couple of sharp interventions but then watches a garryowen drift long. England have been the more threatening side. The ball-in-play time is huge.
Ireland 0 England 0
3 mins: A blow for Ireland as Mack Hansen limps off. Robbie Henshaw is on, Garry Ringrose moves to the wing. It’s Henshaw and Bundee Aki in the centre
Ireland 0 England 0
1 min: Both teams have taken the aerial route early on but then Marcus Smith with superb break and link with his wing Tommy Freeman. Smith then goes for a cross-kick to Ben Curry but overcooks it.
Ireland 0 England 0
We’re under way. Marcus Smith kicks off and England win the ball. Ireland have the first lineout and in the ball.
An official rendition of the Fields of Athenry after the anthems is something of a departure.
Eight of the Ireland team that started the defeat to England in Twickenham are in the run-on team while the visitors have seven from that match.
Teams are out and the anthems are next.
Teams have gone back into the dressing room, the crowd haven’t heeded the IRFU’s plea to take their seats early.
A big day for Sam Prendergast. Former England and Lions scrumhalf Matt Dawson likes the look of the young Irish pivot.
[ Gerry Thornley's previewOpens in new window ]
England are going after the Ireland breakdown today. Much of the focus has been on the Curry twins, Tom and Ben – their dad and mum David and Susanne will appear on the big screen at some point today – along with Ben Earl, three essentially openside flankers but Maro Itoje and hooker Luke Cowan Dickie are no slouches when it comes to pilfering ruck ball.
The visitors have gone all-in when it comes to stopping Ireland, borrowing from other countries who have managed to stymie them by slowing down Irish ruck ball. If it doesn’t work, then England will be in real trouble. They lack big ballast ball carriers in the run-on team although there are a few on the bench.
The Scots have accelerated away with a brace of tries in quick succession from Huw Jones. The centre has claimed a hat-trick today.
I should have pointed out that there’s a cracking game going on in Murrayfield. Scotland raced into a 14-0 lead but Italy have staged a stunning rally and it’s 19-19 going into the final quarter.
Shane Horgan unflinchingly honest.
A little bit salty from the French born, London based, Michelin starred chef. N’est pas?
The fact that the incident took place 10-minutes from time meant that France were down a man for that period, but had it occurred in the first half Fabien Galthié would have been able to replace Ntamack. There are and will be instances when a collision is a slight misjudgment in timing, but this wasn’t one. Williams should have shown a straight red card.
It will be interesting to note the punishment for the two players. We can play a form of suspension bingo here. Hands up who has got six-match entry point, 50 percent reduction for being a paragon of virtue normally and then a further week off for attending tackle school. Anyone?
Last night at the Stade de France, French outhalf Romain Ntamack first received a yellow card on 70-minutes from match referee New Zealand’s Paul Williams for hitting Ben Thomas in the face with a tucked shoulder. Williams crossed arms gesture meant that the tackle went for review. Word came back that it merited an upgrade to a red card.
First things first. It was a nailed on red card. Williams’ decision was basically saying this is above my pay grade, someone else can sort it out. If this becomes commonplace, then the sport will be poorly served. I’m all for speeding up the game but not at a cost to ensuring player safety.
Last night at the Stade de France, French outhalf Romain Ntamack first received a yellow card on 70-minutes from match referee New Zealand’s Paul Williams for hitting Ben Thomas in the face with a tucked shoulder. Williams crossed arms gesture meant that the tackle went for review. Word came back that it merited being upgraded to a red card.
First things first. It was a nailed on red card. Williams’ decision was basically saying this is above my pay grade, someone else can sort it out. If this becomes commonplace, then the sport will be poorly served. I’m all for speeding up the game but not at a cost to ensuring or preserving player safety.
RED CARDS
For the first time in a Six Nations, players sent off for technical offences can be replaced after 20-minutes. However, referees can still award full and permanent red cards for deliberate and dangerous acts of foul play.
In the Ireland-England Under-20 match, French referee Jeremy Rozier in consultation with the television match official Tual Trainini, reviewed the footage of Joel Kpoku’s hit; it was late, high, and dangerous delivered with a tucked shoulder to the jaw. What it definitely wasn’t in any shape or form was an attempt to tackle.
Rozier sent the player off and after the allotted time, Kpoku was replaced by George Timmons. The 20-minute sanction wasn’t appropriate for a player who made no effort to produce a legal ‘tackle.’
This blog is a one-stop shop for everything, pre-and-post-match, including Gerry’s match report. Johnny Watterson will be marking the Ireland team’s individual exam papers at game’s end. We’ve asked him not to use too much of the red biro. Mary Hannigan’s television column is a must read for anyone with a sense of humour, while Malachy Clerkin, will tackle the game’s primary talking point with the cold-eyed tenacity of a corner back.
There will be audio and video and reaction from both camps.
In terms of two legged pundits, the Irish Times rugby correspondent Gerry Thornley has plumped for (checks notes), Ireland. The ‘outro’ to his preview reads: “It could well be a very tricky, taut, tight game but the memories of losing both last year’s meeting and the autumnal opener against New Zealand should focus Irish minds.”
Irish Times columnist and part-time rugby psychiatrist Matt Williams counsels against Irish arrogance, a collective weakness that he asserted cost Ireland dearly in one or two high-profile matches. It is funny conceit coming from an Aussie.
Paul the Octopus, unfortunately, passed away in October 2010, just a few months after the tournament ended. He was buried on the grounds of his home at the Sea Life Centre, and a modest shrine was built in his memory.
As a concept it grew tentacles, Paul was followed by Nelly (elephant), Sitje (cow), Cabecao (turtle), Shaheen (camel), Aochan (penguin), Norman (armadillo), Khan (tiger), Ying Mei (Giant Panda), Chippu (otter), Madam Shiva (guinea pig), Zabiyaka (goat) and Achilles a hearing-impaired cat who lives in St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum.
Perhaps the most famous animal soothsayer was Paul the Octopus who rose to fame during the 2010 soccer World Cup hosted by Germany. A resident of the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, Paul made headlines after correctly predicting Germany’s matches.
After Germany was defeated in the semi-finals, Paul correctly predicted Spain’s win over the Netherlands for the 2010 World Cup title. He would predict the winner of the matches by selecting between two clear boxes containing a mollusc treat, each having the flags of the competing teams.
Tadhg Furlong may not be playing today but in his honour.........
Hello and welcome to the Irish Times rugby blog. John O’Sullivan here and I will be taking you through the afternoon on the opening Saturday of the 2025 Six Nations Championship. France hammered Wales 43-0 in Paris, but the victory was soured slightly after outhalf Romain Ntamack received a yellow card upgraded to red in the bunker for a head shot.
I’m going to tease out a few thoughts later on about the 20-minute red cards because England flanker Joel Kpoku received one during his side’s 19-3 victory over Ireland in the Under-20 Six Nations game at Musgrave Park on Thursday night. Did the punishment fit the crime, no would be the short answer in both cases.
In match terms England Under-20s were deserving winners in Cork because they were resilient under pressure and ruthless in taking the few chances that came their way.
First though to today’s contest. To paraphrase what the Colonel Kilgore character said in one of the all-time great films, “I love the smell of an Ireland-England match in the morning.” But for whom will it be Apocalypse Now this evening at the Aviva Stadium.
The bookies have Ireland as six-point favourites. Down through the years people have turned to the animal kingdom to predict the outcome of matches but apparently Dublin Zoo don’t have an octopus, and engaging with the Chinese stripe-neck turtle is strictly off limits.
Ireland and England will begin their Six Nations campaigns this evening at the Aviva Stadium as Simon Easterby’s side look to start their pursuit of a historic three championships in a row with a win.
Follow all the build-up, action and post-match reaction in our live story below.
Ireland v England key info
- Kick off time: 4:45pm
- Venue: Aviva Stadium
- Weather update: Cloudy but dry
- Full team news as Sam Prendergast starts at 10
- Sign up to The Irish Times weekly rugby digest to stay up to date on the latest Six Nations news
