England v Ireland preview: Red Rose to be no match for Andy Farrell’s outstanding side as Grand Slam awaits

Colin Newboult
Add as a preferred source on Google
England fly-half George Ford and Jack Crowley of Ireland during the 2024 Six Nations.

England fly-half George Ford and Jack Crowley of Ireland during the 2024 Six Nations.

Quite frankly, a second successive Ireland Grand Slam appears nailed on.

That, in years gone by, would sound odd for an Irish side about to head to Twickenham but, such is the chasm that exists between these two countries at the moment, it is certainly not a bold statement.

Andy Farrell’s men have been utterly unstoppable in the early stages of 2024, bouncing back from their Rugby World Cup devastation with remarkable fortitude and skill.

A superb away victory over France – initially seen as their toughest challenge in this year’s Six Nations – very much opened the door for the Irishmen, but they have absolutely powered through it, following up with wins over Italy and Wales.

In 2023, Farrell’s charges were dominant, with no team getting to within 13 points of the Grand Slam champions, but this year has been even more impressive.

So far, the gaps have not been below 20 and you wouldn’t bet against that continuing in London this weekend. While the general consensus is that this will be now Ireland’s toughest test in the Six Nations, they could still rack up a big score against England.

The Red Rose are some way from even getting close to the level of this weekend’s opponents, certainly on a consistent basis. They do, however, have a few tools which could trouble the visitors on Saturday, but it could well be an all or nothing approach.

That particularly applies defensively. If there is a team that can exploit the hosts’ new system then it is the world number two team, who are so comfortable with ball in hand and on the gain line, but equally it will be a big test of youngster Jack Crowley.

However, this Ireland side are just so well-drilled, talented and adaptable that it is surely going to be a long 80 minutes for Steve Borthwick’s men this weekend. A victory here would take them one step closer to a second successive Grand Slam, with just Scotland standing in their way in the final round.

Where the game will be won

As already intimated, can England get at fly-half Crowley and put him under pressure? Johnny Sexton’s heir apparent has been almost flawless so far, but he has been given an armchair ride. The Ireland forwards have been dominant in contact, easily making it over the gain line and providing quick ball for the half-backs, but the thing that the Red Rose will provide is physicality, especially in defence.

They will fly up on every phase, looking to smash the visitors back, which, if successful, will make it much more difficult for the pivot to get a grip on the encounter. Crowley will have to take more risks and that obviously can lead to mistakes. Even Finn Russell did not necessarily have the easiest game against the Red Rose’s rush defence, despite the end scoreline and his moments of brilliance.

England were correct in their assessment that they shut down Russell in phase play, with the Scottish scores coming via the Englishmen’s errors. Cutting those out and using their rearguard to make it uncomfortable is the key if they are going to be competitive in this clash.

However, the massive caveat comes in that Ireland are the master manipulators in attack. Even if the Red Rose are successful in shutting one phase down and sending them into reverse, Farrell’s side are often quick to reorganise and will take advantage if the hosts lose concentration in those moments thinking that the job has been done.

The visitors also have multiple threats when they take the ball to the line. Every player is so comfortable in possession and, whether it is close to the ruck or in the outside channels, they can find where England’s weaknesses are. The Red Rose will certainly test them but, if Ireland can keep their composure, they will fancy their chances of breaking that English defence down.

Last time they met

What they said

England head coach Borthwick has admitted that the shirt ‘weighed heavy’ on the players against Scotland and has looked to ease the pressure on them ahead of this weekend’s game.

“We know that against Scotland there were errors,” he said. “It’s probably the first time in a while I’d seen the weight of the shirt feels heavy on the players. We’ve worked around that and to develop that.

“We try to make an environment where the players enjoy it, where we know mistakes are going to be made, but still continue to do the right things.

“I back the players. Yes we made errors. We’re disappointed in the performance and we’re disappointed in the result.

“I’ve made some of changes to the team but I believe in these players. I sense a determination in them to put in a performance this weekend and there has been ever since the end of that Scotland game.”

Meanwhile, Ireland boss Farrell is preparing for “one hell of a battle” against a side that are hurting after their last performance.

“I’ve no doubt that England would have loved to have put the best performance out against Scotland and come away with the victory there,” he said.

“But I’ve no doubt now that over the last two weeks that concentrates their mind to have another chance to have a crack at us.

“You expect them to be at their best and if they’re at their best you expect them to be as hard as anyone in world rugby to beat.

“I don’t get involved with the criticism at all. I don’t look at it.

“I look at the individuals the way that they’re playing, the coaching staff that they got, the plan that they’ve got, a fantastic side that is going to be preparing to give it everything they’ve got at the weekend, so that makes them unbelievably dangerous.

“We just prepare for them to be at their best and if that’s the case it’s going to be one hell of a battle.”

Players to watch

The onus is once again on Henry Slade to lead that rearguard and take the right options in the outside centre channel. Alongside Ollie Lawrence, who struggled to make an impact on his return last time out, they will have to improve significantly against arguably the world’s best side at the moment. That is not just defensively but also in attack, which completely misfired in Round Three.

The only player to really make an impact in that area in the second half was replacement Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, and he gets an opportunity from the start, ahead of Elliot Daly. Feyi-Waboso showed glimpses of his ability against Scotland and will hopefully get his hands on the ball even more to further display what he can do. Another positive for the Red Rose is that he is used to this type of defensive system, given that his club side, Exeter Chiefs, employ something similar.

England also need their forwards to match-up physically and stop the Ireland carriers from gaining too much momentum. In the four, five and six slots, they potentially have their long-term combination in the form of Maro Itoje, George Martin and Ollie Chessum. Martin in particular is brutal in contact and will seek to impose himself in both his tackling and his carrying. Equally, he is regarded as a powerful scrummager and will provide some weight behind the front-row.

That could be pivotal against an Irish scrum that are still smarting from their last visit to Twickenham in 2022, which saw the trio of Cian Healy, Dan Sheehan, and Tadhg Furlong concede a number of penalties. Furlong, in particular, struggled against Ellis Genge and the two once again face-off this weekend. The tighthead has not been at his peak for a while – probably the only Ireland player searching for his best form – but this would be an ideal game for him to return to the level we know he is capable of.

Behind Furlong, ball carriers such as Joe McCarthy, Caelan Doris and Bundee Aki have a big job to get their side some front foot ball. They have done magnificently in the tournament so far, with their footwork in tight spaces allowing them to get soft shoulders and across the advantage line. Those three individuals also have genuine power, which is not something which has generally been attributed to Ireland sides in the past, but this squad is different. There are some genuinely big men in that 23 and, as a result, Farrell’s outfit have the physicality to bully even the best teams.

Finally for Ireland, James Lowe will, as ever, take on an important role. Such is the brilliance of the men in green, you tend to forget how vital Lowe’s kicking game is. The sheer length the wing gets on his clearances both relieves pressure and then puts it back on the opposition. With the Irishmen’s aforementioned ability to manipulate space, as well as the confidence they have in their handling, they can often provide him with the time to get a solid connection on the ball. If England are on top defensively then Lowe’s skills can help alter the momentum.

Main head-to-head

Fly-halves are always key but Jack Crowley’s decision-making will be tested significantly more than it has been in the first three matches. The pivot has enjoyed a fine start to life as Sexton’s successor, but it will be fascinating to see how he reacts if the visitors are put under duress by the Red Rose. Crowley will then need to adapt and potentially have to kick more, so it could well be a real challenge of his skills.

Equally, the Irish playmaker may get another easy ride from his pack, who have performed superbly in the competition so far, and he will therefore be incredibly dangerous in attack. His opposite number, George Ford, must pin Ireland back if England are to negate the threat of Crowley. Ford has not been at his best since the Rugby World Cup and had a poor display against Scotland – although he wasn’t the only one. With the two Smiths, Marcus and Fin, breathing down his neck, the experienced pivot needs a big game if he is to retain his place.

Prediction

We think that England will give Farrell’s charges their toughest test of this year’s Six Nations, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be yet another comfortable victory for the Irish. The hosts will certainly give their opponents – and particularly the decision-makers – plenty to think about when they fly up out of the line, but the Irishmen are smart operators and are comfortable with ball in hand under pressure, so they will have too much class this weekend. Ireland by 15 points.

Previous results

2023: Ireland won 29-10 in Dublin
2023: Ireland won 29-16 in Dublin
2022: Ireland won 32-15 in London
2021: Ireland won 32-18 in Dublin
2020: England won 18-7 in London
2020: England won 24-12 in London
2019: England won 57-15 in London
2019: England won 32-20 in Dublin
2018: Ireland won 24-15 in London
2017: Ireland won 13-9 in Dublin

The teams

England: 15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Ollie Chessum, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Chandler Cunningham-South, 20 Alex Dombrandt, 21 Danny Care, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Elliot Daly

Ireland: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O’Mahony (c), 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Ryan Baird, 21 Jack Conan, 22 Conor Murray, 23 Ciaran Frawley

Date: Saturday, March 9
Venue: Twickenham, London
Kick-off: 16:45 GMT
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees: Andrea Piardi (Italy), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

READ MORE: Italy v Scotland preview: Toonie’s charges to conquer Rome in double-digit Six Nations win

England