The opening weekend of a Six Nations campaign is all about starting fast and then maintaining that momentum. England looked promising at first but, once again, were unable to keep up the intensity when it mattered. Instead, it was the defending champions, Ireland, who surged in the second half, racking up 22 unanswered points to secure a 27-22 victory, sending Steve Borthwick’s side to their seventh defeat in their last nine Tests.
The game was a tale of two halves. England came out strong, full of energy, and led 10-5 at the interval. They had to contend with a storming second half from Ireland, however, as Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne, and Dan Sheehan all crossed the try line to change the course of the match. Ireland weathered a tough first 40 minutes and capitalized in the second half, leaving England with no answer to their power surge. Despite late tries from Tom Curry and Tommy Freeman, England could not mount a sufficient challenge to overturn the deficit.
England’s bench has often been a point of contention, and once again, it was unable to change the game in the way Ireland’s replacements could. Unless England can address these issues quickly, particularly ahead of their home match against France, they are unlikely to compete for the title when the tournament concludes.
Under Maro Itoje’s new leadership, England entered the match with high hopes. And early on, it seemed like they might just pull off an upset. The Curry twins, especially Ben Curry, were aggressive in their pressure on Ireland’s young fly-half Sam Prendergast. England capitalized on this disruption, forcing mistakes from the Irish and keeping the momentum in their favor. The visitors took the lead with an exquisite try from debutant Cadan Murley, whose deft finish off a perfectly weighted grubber from Henry Slade was a moment of class.
Though Ireland managed to break into the English 22 on a few occasions, they squandered those opportunities due to errors and England’s staunch defense. It wasn’t until a moment of ill-discipline from England, when Marcus Smith was sent to the sin-bin for an offside infringement, that Ireland began to turn the tide. Despite the numerical advantage, Ireland struggled to break through, with Prendergast learning the hard way just how demanding Test rugby is.
Ireland’s breakthrough came when James Lowe powered through a tackle from Alex Mitchell and offloaded to Jamison Gibson-Park, who crossed the line to give Ireland their first try. England, however, were still ahead, and Ben Earl’s break and a penalty from Smith gave them a five-point lead at the break. Historically, the team leading at halftime in this fixture had not lost in Dublin since 1983, making England’s position seem favorable.
But in the second half, England couldn’t maintain their lead. Murley misjudged a high ball, putting England under pressure deep in their own 22. Despite some dogged defense, Ireland finally broke through when Aki bulldozed past Smith and Mitchell to bring the scores level. Ireland then seized the advantage with a long-range penalty from Prendergast. From there, they took control of the game, as Beirne’s try and Sheehan’s shortly after sealed the victory.
The match highlighted England’s persistent problems in closing out tight games. Their discipline and depth remain concerns, especially when compared to Ireland’s ability to bring on fresh legs and sustain pressure. There are still plenty of challenges ahead for England, particularly in their upcoming clash with France, but they must find ways to solve their issues if they are to remain competitive.
Ireland, on the other hand, are on course to defend their championship title, though their upcoming fixture in Scotland promises to be a tough one. Meanwhile, England’s prospects look less certain unless they can correct their deficiencies.
