We have an Ireland v England prediction for you plus tips as we break down the betting odds, team news and matchups ahead of what promises to be a titanic Six Nations clash.
How To Watch Ireland v England
When is Ireland v England
This Six Nations opening round fixture between Ireland and England is scheduled to kick off at 4.45 pm on Saturday, February 1st.
TV Channel
In Ireland, you can tune into Virgin Media One for televised coverage of this game with pre-match coverage from 4 pm.
Those in the UK can catch the action on ITV1.
Live Stream
In Ireland, you can live stream this game on Virgin Media Player.
In the UK, the game can be streamed on ITVX.
Who are the officiating team?
Referee: Ben O’Keefe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: James Doleman (New Zealand), Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
FPRO: Richard Kelly (New Zealand)
Where is Ireland v England Being Played?
Ireland are the home team for this fixture which means it will be played in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.
Ireland v England Odds
Team | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
Ireland | 4/11 | 73.3% |
England | 9/4 | 30.8% |
Draw | 22/1 | 4.3% |
Ireland are currently priced as 4/11 favourites to win this Six Nations clash.
Ireland win – 4/11
England are outsiders at odds of 9/4 while the draw is seen as a 22/1 chance.
England win – 9/4
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Match Betting Enhanced
Ireland @ 2/5
England @ 23/10
Draw @ 22/1
Handicap Betting
Ireland: -7 @ Evens
England +7 @ Evens
Handicap Draw: -7 @ 18/1
Bet on Six Nations Odds at BoyleSports
Team News
Ireland Team News
It's as predicted for Ireland but the big news is that Joe McCarthy is out meaning as well as Ryan Baird starting, Iain Henderson is amongst the subs
— CaolánSRugby (@CaolanSRugby) January 30, 2025
Back to 5/3 as the bench also features Sheehan, Conan, Murray, Crowley and Henshaw pic.twitter.com/j5hf6Hudi5
England Team News
Your England team to face Ireland 👊
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) January 28, 2025
Steve Borthwick has named his 23-player squad for our #GuinnessM6N opener on Saturday.@O2 | #WearTheRose | #IREvENG
Ireland v England Preview
Ireland’s Form
Their 2024 success in the event was history-making in many senses, their 31-7 win over Wales in their third fixture meant Ireland tied England’s record for consecutive wins with 11 and extended their unbeaten home run to 18. Their defeat of Scotland in their final fixture meant they became back-to-back Six Nations outright champions for only the third time in history, emulating the class of 1949 and 2015.
They continued their run of form by playing out a drawn series against World Champions South Africa in July. The Autumn Series commenced with a disappointing 13-23 loss to New Zealand before they concluded the season in style with wins over Argentina, Fiji and Australia.
While Ireland are inarguably one of the strongest forces in World Rugby, 2025 brings an interesting question in how they will deal with the absence of Andy Farrell who has coached the nation since 2019 with him taking a “sabbatical” as he assumes the role of British & Irish Lions Head Coach this summer.
Defence Coach Simon Easterby is assuming the mantle for this Championship, and it will be interesting to see if he can keep the wheel of success turning or if he will suffer from teething problems.
England’s Form
England came third in the 2024 Six Nations Championship with a record of three wins and two defeats from their five matches. They narrowly overcame Italy and Wales in their opening two fixtures before losing a thriller 30-21 to Scotland. The highlight of their tournament was a dramatic 23-22 win over Ireland on St Patrick’s Day before they lost a 33-31 thriller to France in their final game.
The second half of their 2024 is hard to gauge, as while they remained intensely competitive against Rugby’s “Elite” there were few victories to boast about. In the summer they defeated Japan before being beaten by 1 and 7 points respectively in their two games against New Zealand. They again played the All Blacks in the Autumn Series with a similar story losing out by 2 points in a 22-24 scoreline, they then lost 37-42 to Australia and 20-29 against South Africa before concluding the year with another victory over Japan this time 59-14.
The English are going considerably under the radar ahead and if they turn up for this game, they may just build up a head of steam for the rest of the tournament.
Ireland v England Rugby Head-To-Head
All-Time Head-To-Head Record
Ireland and England have played each other in rugby union since 1875. A total of 142 matches have been played, with England winning 81 times, Ireland winning on 53 occasions and the remaining eight finishing as draws.
Head-To-Head Results Last Five Matches
2024: England won 23-22 in Twickenham
2023: Ireland won 29-10 in Aviva Stadium
2023: Ireland won 29-16 in Aviva Stadium
2022: Ireland won 15-32 in Twickenham
2021: Ireland won 32-18 in Aviva Stadium
Trends
Ireland and England are both tied on 5 wins a piece in their last 10 tests with Ireland winning 4 of the last 5
Key Players
Caelan Doris – Ireland
The Leinster player (26) is fast approaching his 50th cap with him being 47 times since his debut in 2020 scoring 40 points in the process and has been one of Ireland’s standout performers.
Caelan Doris: Player of the Match – 6/1
In 2024 he appeared in all 880 of Ireland’s test minutes showing his importance to this team as well as being captain of both Leinster and Ireland.
Marcus Smith – England
The magic man at fly-half, England International Marcus Smith (25) oozes quality, class and flare in everything he does on the field. In his 39 caps for England since debuting in 2021 he has 284 points.
Marcus Smith to Score 12+ Points – 11/4
Despite impressive numbers, he still receives considerable criticism from fans about his performances and will want to put in a strong showing against Ireland after being handed the #10 jersey.
10 🤝 11🤝 12
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) November 20, 2024
Marcus Smith, Henry Slade and Ollie Sleightholme creating a piece of magic for @EnglandRugby 🪄
Watch the #AutumnNationsSeries live on @rugbyontnt 📺 pic.twitter.com/zGbzmHLQfK
Ireland v England Prediction & Best Bet
Prediction: Ireland 22-10 England
This Irish Rugby Team is a force to be reckoned with, back-to-back Six Nations Champions, played out a drawn series with South Africa and though their New Zealand result was disappointing they recovered with wins over Argentina, Fiji and Australia though all under Andy Farrell.
England have come on as a team in the last 12 months earning a scalp over Ireland at Twickenham and were France, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. There is a sense that this team is on the cusp of becoming a considerable force again.
Though Ireland are comfortable favourites, England went toe-to-toe with them at Twickenham last year and won. So while the Aviva should be considerably tougher I don’t expect Ireland to blow England away by any means even if a win for the home side looks the most likely.
Best Bet: First Half Winning Margin – Ireland 8-14 Points @ 10/3
First Half Winning Margin: Ireland 8-14 Points – 10/3
Bet on Six Nations Odds at BoyleSports
*Prices are subject to fluctuation.
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