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Ireland’s past triumph complete England came successful 2015.
It was a stunning triumph successful a classical game.
The past really is simply a overseas country.
Oval Insights person crunched nan numbers and they person England winning by 42 points.
According to nan supercomputer, Ireland person a 3% chance of victory.
I reckon that’s generous.
Ireland’s Aoife Dalton tells nan BBC that her squad is not present to simply dress up nan numbers:
double quotation markIt was astonishing arriving present today. We are deffo present to not play for nan occasion, we are present to play for ourselves. We won’t fto immoderate extracurricular factors travel successful and impact our crippled today.
This is specified a superb story.
While you, and nan much than 76,000 fans wrong nan stadium, wait, why not tuck into immoderate fantabulous penning from Sarah Rendell who will beryllium our lead crossed nan tournament:
Ireland team
It’s a return of nan King, Erin King, to beryllium exact, arsenic nan Irish skipper rejoins nan group aft missing retired connected past year’s World Cup pinch a knee injury.
Along pinch Aoife Wafer and Brittany Hogan, Ireland person a backmost statement that tin compete. It’s conscionable a mobility if they tin get capable front-foot ball.
If they can, and if they tin get nan shot moving down nan line, Vicky Elmes Kinlan’s gait retired wide could beryllium a handful. On nan different wing, nan knowledgeable Béibhinn Parsons offers solidity.
There’s besides a beautiful match-up arsenic Cliodhna Maloney-Macdonald astatine hooker meets her nine teammate and wife, Claudia, who starts connected nan helping for England.
When they time off nan bench, Eilís Cahill and Katie Whelan will make their Test debuts.
Ireland: Flood; Parson, Dalton, Higgins, Elmes Kinland; O’Brien, Lane; Perry, Maloney-Macdonald, Djougang, Wall, Tuite, Hogan, King, Wafer.
Replacements: Jones, O’Dowd, Cahill, Campbell, Moore, Whelan, McGillivray, McGann.
England team
There are 9 – nine! – World Cup winners absent this afternoon.
Prop Hannah Botterman’s ankle intends she a big of teammates, including skipper Zoe Stratford, Lark Atkin-Davies and Rosie Galligan who are each pregnant and focussing connected much important matters than nan destiny of a rugby ball.
Still, it’s a squad stacked pinch talent. Ellie Kildunne starts astatine fullback pinch Megan Jones assuming captaincy duties from 13. Holly Aitchsion wins nan conflict for nan 10 jersey while Sadia Kabeya forms nan focal constituent of a world people backmost row.
England: Kildunne; Breach, Jones, Rowland, Maloney-Macdonald; Aitchison, Packer; Clifford, Cockayne, Bern, Talling, Ives Campion, Feaunati, Kabeya, Matthews.
Replacements: Powell, Carson, Muir, Lutui, Burton, Hunt, Harrison, Sing.
Preamble
Daniel Gallan
Hello and invited to nan commencement of our sum of nan 2026 Women’s Six Nations.
England are revved up and fresh to agelong their grounds unbeaten tally of 33 matches and I wouldn’t stake against them making it 38 by nan clip nan tourney ends.
They are, for my money, nan astir ascendant sports squad connected nan planet. Surely they are among nan astir ascendant sports teams of each time. A master league, investors who put their money wherever they mouths are, and a nationalist who afloat get down them. It’s nary wonderment they are lightyears up of nan competition.
Ireland will beryllium eager to play their part. They came wrong a people of beating France successful nan World Cup quarterfinals past year. They person 1 of nan champion players connected nan planet, Aoife Wafer, rampaging successful nan loose, and of people location will beryllium nary shortage of motivation.
But they’re up against nan world champions connected their ain patch. Anything different than a romping triumph for nan Red Roses would represent a awesome upset.
Kick-off astatine Twickenham astatine 2:25 pm.
Teams and different updates to come.
