Six Nations England vs Ireland Preview

Two weeks in and it’s been a Six Nations of surprises so far, with England and Ireland now preparing to do battle in what looks like a must-win for both nations. England’s defeat at Murrayfield last week put a big dent in their title hopes, while Ireland struggled for long periods against Italy after suffering a heavy loss in France in Week One. Twickenham is the venue for Saturday’s match-up (2:10pm, live on ITV1), a clash that Ireland have won in five of the last six meetings.

England have to show the ability to bounce back

Steve Borthwick’s side had won 12 games in a row going into last week’s clash with Scotland, with many talking them up as possible Grand Slam winners. It all went wrong though for the Red Rose, who conceded three tries inside the first 30 minutes and eventually fell to a 31-20 defeat. It’s now going to be fascinating to see if England – who haven’t won the Six Nations since 2020 – can respond and get their title hopes back on track. They now face an Ireland team that have had the upper hand over them in recent years, although the men in green have won just once at Twickenham since 2019.

Tip 1. Handicap: England -8.5 @ 8/11 with bet365

Andy Farrell’s Ireland were 10-5 down at half-time against Italy in Dublin, with many fearing back-to-back defeats at the start of the tournament. Although they fought back to win 20-13, it wasn’t convincing from a team that lost 36-14 at the Stade de France, having been 22-0 down to France at the break. Farrell was pretty scathing of his team’s display in Paris, saying there was a “lack of intent” in the first 40 minutes and said the result was a “smack in the face” for his squad. This could be an even bigger test against a wounded England team, who have averaged 34.2 points across their last five internationals at Twickenham.

Tip 2. England Over 35.5 Points @ 2/1 with bet365

Steve Borthwick has made three changes to his starting XV and several players will be out to make an impact and establish themselves as regulars. Henry Pollock, Ben Earl and Tom Curry look like a strong combination in the back row, while centre Ollie Lawrence returns from injury, having missed the Scotland game. England have shown that they have the firepower to see off the world’s best teams, particularly at Twickenham – scoring 30+ points in three of their last four games on home soil.

Tip 3 – Henry Arundell – Two or More Tries @ 11/2 with bet365

One man who has got more than most to prove is England winger Henry Arundell, who was sent off in the first half at Murrayfield. The Bath winger has been given an opportunity to right the wrongs, with Borthwick selecting him to start on the left wing against Ireland. Arundell, cleared to play by officials, has scored four tries in the first two matches and has crossed the whitewash 11 times in 13 appearances for his country.