England vs Ireland, Six Nations 2024: Kick-off time, TV channel, team news, lineups, venue, odds today
England host Ireland in the Six Nations today in a truly daunting challenge.
Steve Borthwick’s side return to Twickenham having suffered a sobering fourth successive defeat by Scotland in the Calcutta Cup at Murrayfield before the second fallow week.
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England actually started well in Edinburgh following scrappy opening wins over Italy and Wales, but Duhan van der Merwe’s stunning hat-trick quickly put paid to any hope of only a second victory over the auld enemy since 2017.
Now, with their own modest Grand Slam hopes over, the hosts face the unenviable task of trying to halt the formidable Green Machine, with brilliant and ruthless Ireland currently firmly on course to become the first nation to claim back-to-back Grand Slam titles in the Six Nations era.
Andy Farrell’s team have shown absolutely no signs whatsoever of a lingering hangover from their latest World Cup heartbreak in the autumn, putting all of France, Italy and Wales to the sword so far before seeking a fifth successive win over England and second in a row at Twickenham that would leave only Scotland standing in the way of rugby history at the Aviva Stadium next weekend.
England vs Ireland date, kick-off time and venue
England vs Ireland takes place today on Saturday March 9, 2024, with kick-off scheduled for 4:45pm GMT.
The match will be held at Twickenham Stadium in south-west London.
How to watch England vs Ireland
TV channel: England vs Ireland is being broadcast live and free-to-air in the UK on ITV1, with coverage beginning at 4:20pm after the conclusion of Italy vs Scotland from Rome on the same channel.
Live stream: A live stream service can be accessed for free online via the ITVX app and ITVX website.
Live blog: Follow the game live with Standard Sport’s match blog, featuring expert analysis from our rugby correspondent Nick Purewal at Twickenham.
England vs Ireland team news
England have been hugely boosted by the return of half-back duo Marcus Smith and Alex Mitchell to Borthwick’s squad after injury, the former having yet to play at this Six Nations due to a calf strain suffered in a pre-tournament training camp in Spain and the latter having missed the defeat by Scotland with a knee injury sustained against Wales.
Smith is named among the replacements, as George Ford keeps his place at fly-half and Fin Smith misses out, but Mitchell comes straight back in at scrum-half, with veteran deputy Danny Care set to earn his 100th cap off the bench after filling in at Murrayfield.
Exeter wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso missed last week’s three-day training camp in York due to a university medical exam, but he is named in the side in place of Elliot Daly as he handed a full debut at Twickenham after scoring his first international try off the bench against Scotland.
George Martin will start at lock, as Ollie Chessum switches to blindside flanker and Ethan Roots drops out. George Furbank keeps his place at full-back, with Freddie Steward missing out completely once again. Alex Dombrandt makes the matchday squad as back-row cover.
Tom Pearson, Harry Randall and Max Ojomoh were all released from England’s training squad earlier this week following the returns of Smith, Mitchell and Feyi-Waboso.
Ireland, meanwhile, make just one change to the side that beat Wales a fortnight ago.
Hugo Keenan has recovered from a knee injury and he comes back into the side at full-back, as Ciaran Frawley drops to the bench and Stuart McCloskey out of the squad entirely.
Garry Ringrose was expected to also return after a shoulder injury, but he misses out on the matchday squad despite being back to fitness, with Farrell opting for only two backs on the bench.
Lock James Ryan will miss the rest of the tournament after suffering a biceps injury in training, but Iain Henderson is back from a toe injury and takes Ryan’s place among the replacements.
Prop Oli Jager is not deemed fit enough to make the squad, but Finlay Bealham is available again and is expected to feature off the bench.
England vs Ireland lineups
England XV: Furbank; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Lawrence, Freeman; Ford, Mitchell; Genge, George (c), Cole; Itoje, Martin; Chessum, Underhill, Earl
Replacements: Dan, Marler, Stuart, Cunningham-South, Dombrandt, Care, M Smith, Daly
Ireland XV: Keenan; Nash, Henshaw, Aki, Lowe; Crowley, Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong; McCarthy, Beirne; O'Mahony (c), Van der Flier, Doris
Replacements: Kelleher, Healy, Bealham, Henderson, Baird, Conan, Murray, Frawley
England vs Ireland head to head (h2h) history and results
England won four games in a row against Ireland across all competitions between 2019 and 2020, though have now lost four on the spin dating back to March 2021.
Ireland won 32-15 on their last Six Nations visit to Twickenham in 2022 after Charlie Ewels’ early red card, while they clinched their fourth Grand Slam with a 29-16 triumph over their old rivals in Dublin last March before also winning a World Cup warm-up game on home soil 29-10 in the summer.
A red card has been a constant theme of England’s defeats by Ireland over recent years, with the likes of Billy Vunipola and Freddie Steward also sent off in meetings between the two nations.
England wins: 80
Ireland wins: 53
Draws: 8
England vs Ireland prediction
It is extremely difficult to see how England can hope to spoil Ireland’s dreams of successive Six Nations Grand Slams this weekend.
The Men in Green are currently operating on a completely different level to any other team in the northern hemisphere and maybe the world, ruthless, physical, confident and so remarkably well-drilled with such a settled team that is in stark contrast to the constant chopping and changing of new-look England.
There were aspects of the home wins over Italy and Wales that weren’t quite up to standard, but ultimately they were both still extremely comfortable results.
A trip to Twickenham will hold absolutely no fear for Ireland, who have consistently got the better of England in recent years and often with a handy numerical advantage.
England were on the front foot and aggressive early on against Scotland, but were lax and punished thereafter. It is hard not to foresee a similar scenario here, but with the potential for the punishment to be far more severe.
After a shock run to the World Cup semi-finals in the autumn that followed a truly dismal 2023 prior to that, Borthwick’s side have yet to find their footing at the Six Nations and, with a tough trip to France to come on Super Saturday, face the worrying but very real prospect of winning only two matches in the competition for the fourth year in succession.
Ireland to win, by 15 points.
England vs Ireland match odds
England to win: 4/1
Ireland to win: 1/7
Draw: 50/1
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
