England v Ireland 2024 Men's Guinness Six Nations Preview

The 2024 Guinness Six Nations has brought some incredible action to our lives, with unexpected results and new stars making their presence known. The performance of Ireland, the current tournament champions, is much anticipated and is sure to be a storming head-to-head against England. Twickenham Stadium will welcome Ireland on Saturday 9th March in the fourth round of this historic tournament. This fixture will holds a significance for Ireland, as it was their match against England in the 2023 Guinness Six Nations which allowed them to take the trophy and win the tournament on their home turf in Dublin. In the same grain, Ireland won the 2018 Guinness Six Nations, defeating England, which instead took place at Twickenham on their opposition’s terrain.

A Rivalrous History

Although Ireland hold the 2023 Guinness Six Nations title, they cannot be complacent. Their rivalrous relationship with England runs deep, and both teams have a history of, and the potential, to take the win. Since 2000, the official beginning of the Six Nations, England have won the most titles. With seven previous wins compared to Ireland’s five, 2024 may be England’s opportunity to repossess the win and widen the gap between themselves and their rivals. The success of both teams will boil down to the performance, teamwork, discipline, and tactics on the day of play. As England and Ireland did not meet at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, the style of play from both sides will be even harder to predict when they come up against each other. It was made clear that Ireland’s Head Coach, Andy Farrell, had extensive plans to change the line-up and structure of his team. With this in mind, the outcome of this fixture is even more unforeseeable – one to get extremely excited about!

Players to look out for

The 2023 Rugby World Cup revealed the incredible abilities of some key players in the England and Ireland squads. With these assets, both sides will struggle to gain leverage.

England

Ben Earl

Earl has been a player to keep our eyes on recently. Playing in the back-row, the Saracens star was been named by many as the most consistent team member during the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Before the tournament, Earl’s chances of making the team were slim, but his perseverance and focus on the field showed just how strong of an asset he is to the England squad. It’s safe to say that in the first three rounds of the 2024 Guinness Six Nations, the 26 year-old number eight has been a serious force to be reckoned with and has bound into action with a bang. Earl was awarded Player of the Match on the team’s home turf at Twickenham after a very tight contest against Wales, narrowly winning 16-14 after scoring a monumental try just before half-time charging through three Welsh defenders to successfully reach the try-line.

Ethan Roots

The Exeter Chiefs back-row was a new selection to the England squad for the tournament and earned his first cap when he started against Italy in the team’s opening match. Not only did he receive his first cap, but he was awarded Man- of the Match too. He’s since started in the England v Wales match at Twickenham and England v Scotland, and has proven his ability as a highly physical player.

Ireland

Without exceptional coaching it’s a challenge for any nation to succeed – something that Ireland does not suffer from. Following the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Ireland’s Head Coach, Andy Farrell, was named World Rugby Coach of the Year at the World Rugby Awards. Farrell has a unique and strong relationship with his team, and he will certainly ensure Ireland are prepared for the challenges The Six Nations will bring. The World Rugby Awards also provided the line-up for the Men’s 15’s Dream Team – of which 5 of the 15 named were Irish players Dan Sheehan, Tadgh Furlong, Caelan Doris, Bundee Aki, and Garry Ringrose. With a third of the Dream Team being Irish, it becomes clear how much of a powerhouse Ireland are – but England might just have what it takes to rattle their play.

Bundee Aki

Bundee Aki was especially exceptional during the Rugby World Cup. In his best-ever-form, Aki served as a motivating force on the pitch, channelling his energy into scoring two tries against both Romania and Tonga. In the 2024 Guinness Six Nations, we can expect Aki to make metres on almost all of his carries, especially I the first phase off the back of a line-out or a scrum. He’s a player who’s able to generate intense power from a standing start and go at an incredible pace.

Jack Crowley

Crowley, the Irish fly-half, has taken the baton from Johnny Sexton since his recent retirement from the game and has stepped up to the plate, owning the immense responsibility . He put on a great performance against France in their first round match, knocking conversions from every angle to contribute to their record 38-17 win. The Munster player scored his first Test try against Italy in the second round of the tournament and kicked two conversions, helping the side to dominate with a blistering 36-0 win. Being one of the young guns, Crowley will be one to keep an eye on in the remainder of the tournament and in the head-to-head against England, where he is sure to be a threat.

James Lowe

The Irish winger is an exciting and incredibly fast player to watch on the pitch. Lowe’s stats for metres gained are proof of his huge attacking ability, proven in his ability to descend upon the try line rapidly to earn Ireland those important points. In the 2024 tournament so far, Lowe has been called one of the most powerful and successful wingers with unique skills hat no other posesses, making the most line breaks and ground so far. He named Player of the Match in their clash against Italy in the second round, an in their third round match against Wales on 24 February, Lowe scored the second try making it his 14th international try, finding gaps in the Welsh defence. He is certainly a gem to the Irish team and one to watch out for in their battle against England at Twickenham on 9 March.

The meeting of England and Ireland at Twickenham will undoubtably be immense and extraordinary. Will Ireland maintain their victory over England or can the home side upset the tournament title holders? The pressure is already hotting up as we get closer to this much awaited event. Keith Prowse are delighted to say we have sold out for our hospitality experiences for this showdown, and we can’t wait to welcome all of our guests to the wonders of Twickenham hospitality soon.