Ireland and England close out Super Saturday in Dublin to bring the curtain down on the 2023 Six Nations. An Ireland win will seal their first championship trophy since 2018, along with both the Grand Slam and Triple Crown titles.
Ireland, the world’s No.1 Test team, have swept aside all who’ve come before them, securing bonus points in three of their four games. Wales and France were both outscored four tries to one as Andy Farrell’s men powered into early leads and suffocated the chances of any potential comebacks.
🏆 The target on #SuperSaturday ⚡️#AwakenAnticipation pic.twitter.com/hldWHvC71G
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 16, 2023
Under new coach Steve Borthwick, England had been making progress, with a late loss to Scotland followed up by convincing, if unspectacular, victories over Italy and Wales.
“We are sorry and we need to get better.” pic.twitter.com/J29pmq3Igf
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) March 13, 2023
All signs of progress were brought to a halt at Twickenham last weekend, though, with France running riot on the England tryline for 80 unbelievable minutes. Opening the scoring inside the first of those minutes, Les Bleus crossed six more times and limited England to only one of their own.
The 53-10 humbling was the worst England have ever suffered at “HQ”, and they need to show a massive response if they’re to avoid a similar fate. That same French team were beaten convincingly by Ireland, and England will have to give everything in Dublin if they’re to prevent a second successive humbling.
The Sporting News is following the match live, providing commentary and highlights below.
Ireland vs England live score
| 1H | 2H | FT | |
| Ireland | 3 | – | – |
| England | 6 | – | – |
Tries:
Conversions:
Penalties: Sexton; Farrell (2)
Ireland vs England live commentary, highlights
27 mins: Sexton is hit very late by a needless shoulder from Dombrandt, and the England number eight is lucky to avoid a card as Ireland kick to the corner.
25 mins: A winding run out of defence from Hansen gets Ireland back on the front foot, and Henshaw beats Tuilagi around the outside to almost make a clean break down the right edge!
23 mins: Forward come England with some big carries into the Ireland 22, however the hosts’ defence is equal to them and a wide ball to Tuilagi sees the centre dumped out and over the touchline!
The new leading points scorer in Six Nations history! 🐐#TeamOfUs | #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/zgpqR5UvMC
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 18, 2023
19 mins: PENALTY – Ireland 3-6 England. An infringement on the floor sees England penalised, and Sexton steps up to kick the penalty. It’s a routine three points for Ireland, but they’re the three points that see Sexton break O’Gara’s Six Nations record!
17 mins: Keenan scythes through a big hole to race into the English 22 untouched. He’s stopped short of the line as reinforces flood in, and England are able to hold Ireland back before turning the ball over and clearing!
15 mins: PENALTY – Ireland 0-6 England. Porter is pinged on the floor and Lowe cuts out Farrell’s attempted pass to Arundell during the advantage stage. Farrell comes back to kick the points, and notches three more over to extend the visitors’ lead.
14′ || IRE 0-6 ENG
Owen Farrell with his second penalty to extend England’s lead.#IREvENG || #GuinnessSixNations
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) March 18, 2023
12 mins: HELD UP!!! Ireland take the quick tap, and it’s Sexton of all people who attempts to crash his way over from close range. Itoje and Farrell wrap him up, and he can’t quite get the ball down meaning it’s a goal-line drop-out!
11 mins: Van der Flier hits a great inside line from Henshaw’s pass, and the scramble by England defence sees George concede a ruck penalty!
10 mins: Straight from the kick-off, Keenan and Porter wrap up the ball in an England ruck, and the successful penalty is kicked to the touchline by Sexton.
8 mins: PENALTY – Ireland 0-3 England! The visitors have had a bright spell in the last few minutes and win a ruck penalty. Farrell makes no mistake and slots over the first points of the game from right in front.
6 mins: England win quick turnover ball and the ball is thrown wide to Steward, who steps into space before being grounded by Henshaw, who forces the ball loose just inside the Irish 22.
📊 As it stands…#IREvENG | #SuperSaturday ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/I2xX4owqpU
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 18, 2023
3 mins: Ireland look to exploit space down the right edge, but Hansen is forced inside and can’t make much yardage before being chopped down by the England defence.
Kick-Off: Owen Farrell kicks off for England, and the deciding final match of the 2023 Six Nations is up and running in Dublin!
📋 It all comes down to this.#IREvENG | #SuperSaturday ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/YnRI90YHQF
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 18, 2023
5 mins to kick-off: The anthems are belted out for the final time in this Six Nations championship, and they’re as passionate as ever with the expectant home crowd in full voice here!
10 mins to kick-off: The teams trudge out onto the pitch with the Six Nations, Grand Slam, and Triple Crown trophies in front of them, the onus is now on Ireland to finish the job and lift all three!
Atmosphere is building on Lansdowne Road! 🤩#TeamOfUs | #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/3K4DPVe8Qw
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 18, 2023
15 mins to kick-off: Meanwhile, Owen Farrell returns to the England starting XV, having been benched against France. He’ll captain the side and leads a new-look backline which features a the long-awaited return of Manu Tuilagi, and Henry Arundell making his first start on the wing.
30 mins to kick-off: Ravaged by injuries throughout their victory over Scotland last weekend, Ireland make several enforced changes ahead of this decider. Johnny Sexton can break Ronan O’Gara’s Six Nations record with just one point in this game, but given how crucial he is to every aspect of Ireland’s play, you’d back him to add a few against an England side who were shaky – to say the least – against France.
🤝 @IrishRugby #IREvENG | #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/69B2Qdmj4B
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) March 18, 2023
45 mins to kick-off: A first Grand Slam since 2018, in a World Cup year no less, would cap off a brilliant few months for Andy Farrell and his side ahead of the tournament in France at 2023’s end. They’ve begun the calendar year as the world’s number one side, and if they can win this tournament in style, Ireland will be confident they can do the same in the autumn.
60 mins to kick-off: Leaving Twickenham with tails firmly between legs following their record-breaking loss to France last time out, Steve Borthwick will be expecting a big response from his players, who will have to bring their A-game, and then some, to be within a chance of overcoming the world’s number one side.
For the final time this Championship…#TeamOfUs | #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/il1XUuiN2d
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 18, 2023
75 mins to kick-off: The atmosphere builds in Dublin as Ireland prepare to cap off an exceptional tournament with another victory. They could well have won the title before even kicking off, but if we’ve come to expect anything from this side under Andy Farrell, it’s that they’ll do absolutely anything and everything they can to secure victory, regardless of circumstance.
Today’s 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 🌹
Countdown to kick off is on ⌛️#IREvENG | #GuinnessSixNations || KO 5pm. pic.twitter.com/nJDZt35TJn
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) March 18, 2023
90 mins to kick-off: Hello, and thanks for joining us. Get ready, and buckle up, as we prepare to cover the final match of the 2023 Six Nations, pitting Ireland against England in Dublin. A win for the home side will guarantee a first title and Grand Slam since 2018, but England, coming off the back of a record-breaking defeat to France, certainly aren’t here to make up the numbers.
Building towards Super Saturday! ⚡️#TeamOfUs | #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/kPSgMR7OJ7
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 15, 2023
Ireland vs England confirmed lineups
Ireland’s victory over Scotland came at a significant cost. They lost five players to injury over the course of the game, including both their starting and replacement hookers. Luckily for Andy Farrell’s side, Caelan Doris and Dan Sheehan have both been passed fit to line up against England on Super Saturday.
Further positives on the injury front saw Jamison Gibson-Park and Robbie Henshaw make their first appearances of the tournament at Murrayfield, and having come through their returns unscathed, both make the starting XV for the decider. Henshaw replaces the injured Garry Ringrose at outside centre, while Gibson-Park is at nine, partnered in the halves by Johnny Sexton. The Ireland captain needs just one point to become Ireland’s top scorer in the history of this tournament, having drawn level with Ronan O’Gara’s record against Scotland.
☘️ The best back three in the world at the moment?#GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/ZFFJO5uq96
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 15, 2023
Ireland Starting XV: Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, James Lowe, Johnny Sexton, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, Ryan Baird, James Ryan, Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris
Ireland Replacements: Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Tom O’Toole, Kieran Treadwell, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Ross Byrne, Jimmy O’Brien
Our line up for Super Saturday at the Aviva! 💪#TeamOfUs | #GuinnessSixNations
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 16, 2023
Having made headlines the world over for dropping Owen Farrell to the bench against France, Steve Borthwick restores his captain to the No.10 shirt and once again benches Marcus Smith. Smith barely had a chance to make any sort of impression against France, but he’ll look to make an impact once coming on to join a back-line that features Henry Arundell making his first start of the tournament, having come off the bench in three of England’s four games.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 midfield battle on #SuperSaturday⚡️#AwakenAnticipation | #IREvENG pic.twitter.com/5GOcTtvnOv
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 16, 2023
Another headline change is the inclusion of Manu Tuilagi, the 31-year-old making his first appearance since Borthwick took charge. He’s in for the injured Ollie Lawrence at inside centre, while another injured Ollie, Leicester second-row Chessum, is replaced at lock by Northampton’s David Ribbans.
England Starting XV: Freddie Steward, Anthony Watson, Henry Slade, Manu Tuilagi, Henry Arundell, Owen Farrell, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, David Ribbans, Lewis Ludlam, Jack Willis, Alex Dombrandt
England Replacements: Jack Walker, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Ben Curry, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Joe Marchant
🏴 The @EnglandRugby side heading to Dublin on #SuperSaturday⚡#IREvENG | #AwakenAnticipation pic.twitter.com/fVEmh91WPw
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 16, 2023
Ireland vs England live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch the match in some of the major territories:
| TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| USA | — | fuboTV, Peacock, CNBC |
| Canada | — | |
| UK | ITV One | ITV X |
| Australia | — | Stan Sport |
| New Zealand | — | Sky Sport NOW |
| India | — | Premier Sports Asia |
| Hong Kong | — | Premier Sports Asia |
| Malaysia | — | Premier Sports Asia |
| Singapore | — | Premier Sports Asia |
USA: All games are streaming live on Peacock and will also be available through fuboTV. However, they will also be repeated on CNBC on delay, usually by a couple of hours.
Canada: All games are streaming live on DAZN.
UK: Matches will be shown on BBC and ITV, with S4C also broadcasting in Wales.
Australia: Six Nations coverage is provided by Stan Sport.
India: Premier Sports Asia is the main place to watch the Six Nations.
MORE: Ireland dispatch Scotland to tee up Grand Slam finale in Dublin
Ireland vs England odds
These two sides’ form could hardly be more different, and the infallible play of the world No.1s has them as heavy favourites to win this game.
Never before have England been such rank outsiders against Ireland, but their comparative backing shows the gulf between the two sides at the moment. BetMGM’s +550 are the shortest odds for an away win, but there’s little confidence in Borthwick’s side disrupting what could be a day of celebration in Dublin.
| UK (Sky Bet) |
USA (BetMGM) |
Canada |
Australia (Neds) |
|
| Ireland Win | 1/10 | -1000 | 1.08 | 1.10 |
| Draw | 28/1 | +2500 | 30.00 | 34.00 |
| England Win | 6/1 | +550 | 6.57 | 6.00 |