To be honest, it seems highly likely that Ireland will win the Grand Slam again. In the past, that might have seemed strange for an Irish team preparing to play at Twickenham, but given the current gap with the England team. Rugby fans worldwide are called to book Six Nations 2024 tickets from our online platform ticketing. co. Rugby fans can book Ireland Six Nations Tickets on our website at exclusively discounted prices.

It’s not exactly a daring claim. In 2024, Andy Farrell’s team has shown incredible resilience and skill in recovering from their devastating Rugby World Cup loss. They have been completely unstoppable thus far. The Irishmen were somewhat put on the back foot after a thrilling away victory against France, which was first thought to be their biggest test in this year’s Six Nations.

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However, they overcame it with ease, going on to defeat Wales and Italy. No team was able to come within 13 points of the Grand Slam victors in 2023 thanks to Farrell’s outstanding efforts. But this year has been even better. The gaps have never been less than twenty so far, and you shouldn’t count on them staying that high in London this weekend.

Despite the widespread belief that this will be Ireland’s hardest test going forward in the Six Nations, they still have a chance to win a significant number of games versus England. The Red Rose, at least not consistently, are far from matching the calibre of their opponents this weekend. Rugby fans can book England vs Ireland Tickets on our website at exclusively discounted prices.

They do, however, possess a few instruments that can cause problems for the guests on Saturday, but it might be an all-or-nothing strategy. That is especially true in a defensive context. It will also be a major test for teenager Jack Crowley. The world number two squad, who are so at ease with the ball in hand and on the gain line.

This is the team that has the best chance of taking advantage of the hosts’ new approach. But, Steve Borthwick’s team will undoubtedly have a long 80 minutes this weekend since this Ireland team is so good, well-drilled, and versatile. With only Scotland standing in their way in the championship round, a win here would move them one step closer to a second straight Grand Slam.

Where will be the winner?

As suggested previously, is there a way for England to target fly-half Crowley and exert pressure on him? The apparent successor to Johnny Sexton has so far performed almost faultlessly, yet he has been taken for granted. The Irish forwards have been excellent in contact, crossing the gain line with ease and passing the ball quickly to the half-backs, but the Red Rose will offer physicality, particularly in defence.

They will attack at every phase, hoping to crush the visitors back. If they are successful, this will make it much harder for the pivot to get control of the game. Crowley will inevitably have to take more chances, which could result in errors. Even with his moments of genius and the final score. Finn Russell did not necessarily have an easy game against the Red Rose’s rush defence.

Secret of competitiveness

England was right when they said that they shut down Russell throughout phase play, and the Scottish points came from the mistakes made by the Englishmen. The secret to their competitiveness in this matchup is to cut those out and use their rearguard to create discomfort. The important disclaimer is that Ireland is the chief puppeteer behind the attack.

Even if the Red Rose is successful in stopping one phase and putting them into reverse, Farrell’s team is frequently quick to regroup and will capitalize if the hosts lose focus in those moments, believing that the job is done. When the ball is brought to the line, the visitors also pose several threats. Every player is extremely at ease when in possession.

They are all capable of identifying England’s weak points whether they are outside the ruck or near it. While the Red Rose will undoubtedly put them to the test, Ireland will fancy their chances of getting past that English defence provided they can maintain their calm.

When their last matchup

To lessen the players’ stress ahead of this weekend’s match, England head coach Borthwick has acknowledged that the players felt a lot of pressure wearing the shirt against Scotland.

“He stated, We are aware that mistakes were made against Scotland. I believe this is the first time in a long that I’ve seen the players feel the weight of the shirt on them. We have developed and worked around that. While acknowledging that mistakes will be made, we nevertheless strive to create a fun environment for the gamers while upholding moral principles.”

“I give the players my support. Sure, we did make mistakes. We are dissatisfied with both the outcome and the performance. Though I think highly of these players, I have made some adjustments to the squad. Since the conclusion of that Scotland match, I feel like they are determined to give it their all this weekend.”

Andy Farrell getting ready for battle

Ireland manager Farrell, meanwhile, is getting ready for “one hell of a battle” against a team that is hurting from their previous outing.

“According to him, England would have been thrilled to defeat Scotland with their best effort and win that match. But now that the last two weeks have passed, I do not doubt that they are more focused and ready to try again with us. When they perform at their peak, you anticipate that they will be extremely difficult to defeat among all rugby players worldwide.

“I take no interest in responding to the criticism. I keep my eyes off of it. The way these players are playing, the coaching staff they have, and their game plan all add up to a superb team that will be ready to play at its best come Sunday, which makes them dangerous. We simply anticipate that they will be at their peak, and if so, this will be an extremely intense duel.”

Players to watch

Henry Slade is again the man to lead that rearguard and make the correct decisions in the outer centre channel. In addition to Ollie Lawrence, who found it difficult to influence his return, they will need to significantly improve to compete with what is undoubtedly the best team in the world right now. This applies to both attack and defence, as the latter failed in Round Three.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, a substitute, was the only player to have a significant impact in that area during the second half, and he is allowed to start ahead of Elliot Daly. Feyi-Waboso, who will hopefully get his hands on the ball more to show off his skills, showed flashes of his ability against Scotland. Given that his club team, the Exeter Chiefs, operate a similar defensive scheme.

He is accustomed to it, which is another advantage for the Red Rose. To prevent the Ireland carriers from acquiring too much momentum, England’s forwards must also physically match up with them. Ollie Chessum, George Martin, and Maro Itoje might be their long-term combination at positions four, five, and six.

Role of George Martin

Martin in particular will want to force himself in both carrying and tackling because he is a vicious player in contact. He is also thought to be a strong scrummager, which will add weight behind the front row. That might be crucial in their matchup with an Irish scrum that is still stinging from their 2022 visit to Twickenham, where the three players Cian Healy, Dan Sheehan, and Tadhg Furlong were responsible for multiple penalties given up.

Particularly Furlong found it difficult to compete against Ellis Genge; the two will meet again this weekend. The tighthead hasn’t played at his best in a while and is perhaps the lone Irish player looking for it, but this would be the perfect game for him to get back to what we know he is capable of. Ball carriers like Bundee Aki, Caelan Doris, and Joe McCarthy have a major responsibility to bring their team some front football behind Furlong.

They have performed incredibly well in the competition thus far, using their deft footwork in confined areas to sneak past opponents and across the advantage line. These three players possess true power as well, something that previous Ireland teams have not typically been known for. But this team is unique. Because there are some really large players in that 23-man roster.

Farrell’s club has the physicality to intimidate even the most formidable teams. And lastly, James Lowe will play a major part for Ireland as usual. Because of how good the guys in green are, it’s easy to overlook how important Lowe’s kicking technique is. The wing’s clearances are so long that they both release pressure and re-apply it to the opposition.

The Irishmen can frequently give him the time he needs to establish a strong connection with the ball because they trust in their handling and their previously mentioned ability to control space. Lowe’s abilities can help change the momentum if England is playing strong defence.

Main head-to-head

Fly-halves are crucial no matter what, but this time around Jack Crowley’s judgment will be put to the test far more than it has in the first three games. As Sexton’s replacement, the pivot has had a great start to his career, but it will be interesting to watch how he responds if the Red Rose puts the guests in danger. It might then be a true test of Crowley’s abilities as he will have to adjust and possibly kick more.

In addition, the Irish playmaker might get another free pass from his teammates, who have excelled in the competition thus far. As a result, he might be very dangerous going forward. To counter the threat posed by Crowley, England needed George Ford, his opposite number, to pin Ireland back.

Ford didn’t play well against Scotland, but he wasn’t the only player who hasn’t been at his best since the Rugby World Cup. The seasoned pivot needs a good game to hold onto his spot because the two Smiths, Marcus and Fin, are breathing down his neck.

Prediction

Although we believe that England will provide Farrell’s team with their most difficult test of the Six Nations this year, the Irish will still likely win handily once again. The hosts will undoubtedly give their opponents, especially the ones who make decisions, a lot to consider when they fly up out of the line, but the Irishmen will have too much class this weekend because they are shrewd operators and at ease with the ball in hand under duress. Ireland is fifteen points ahead.

Previous results

2023: In Dublin, Ireland triumphed 29–10.

2023: In Dublin, Ireland triumphed 29–16.

2022: In London, Ireland triumphed 32–15.

2021: In Dublin, Ireland triumphed 32–18.

England won 18–7 in London in 2020.

2020: In London, England triumphed 24–12.

2019: England triumphed in London, 57-15.

England triumphed 32–20 in Dublin in 2019

Ireland triumphed 24–15 in London in 2018

2017: In Dublin, Ireland prevailed 13–9.

The teams

England: 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 11 Tommy Freeman, 11 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Furbank, Ben Earl, age eight Six Ollie Chessum, Five George Martin, Four Maro Itoje, Three Dan Cole, Two Jamie George (c), One Ellis Genge, and Seven Sam Underhill

Replacements:

16 Theo Dan, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Stuart, and 19 Chandler Cunningham-South are the replacements. 20 Elliot Daly, 21 Danny Care, 22 Marcus Smith, and 23 Alex Dombrandt

Ireland: Hugo Keenan (15), Calvin Nash (14), 13 Bundee Aki, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe 10 Jack the Ripper, 9 Gibson-Park Jamison, 8 Caelan Doris, Seventh, Josh van der Flier Peter O’Mahony, age six, Three Tadhg Furlong, two Dan Sheehan, one Andrew Porter, four Joe McCarthy, and five Tadhg Beirne.

Replacements:

Cian Healy (17), Finlay Bealham (18), and Iain Henderson (19) as replacements for Jack Conan, 21, Ryan Baird, 20, Ciaran Frawley, 23, and Conor Murray, 22,

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Date: March 9th, a Saturday

Location: Twickenham in London

Start time: 16:45 GMT

Nika Amashukeli, a Georgian referee

Craig Evans (Wales) and Andrea Piardi (Italy) were the assistant referees.

TMO: Welshman Ben Whitehouse

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