Ireland WIN! [6 Nations] Ireland v England - Match Report

The opening weekend of the 2025 Six Nations is here. I spoke with Dave Slemen about the Ireland vs England fixture. We chatted through all the big talking points as Ireland squeezed England in Dublin.
What do you think?
#6Nations #rugby #IREvENG
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[@ConorOLeary-rl4bs]

I dont think it was noticed by many England fans but prior to that push in the lineout, he was warned already so the penalty was given based on that.

[@vladtheinhaler6579]

Ire v Eng never fails to disappoint and we got another great test match. There's a great rivalry and a bit of needle when these two meet and we saw that yesterday. Love it. I knew England would bring it and they did in that first half. There defence and work at the breakdown was excellent so a big improvement there. Tom Curry was England's best player imo. Ireland though just had that collective experience and even though trailing at half time they had the nous to push on relentlessly and England were not able to handle them. And what a class act Dan Sheehan is. So glad to have him back! I called a 5 point game and I would have been happy with that before the game but it should have been more. Just disappointed we conceded those two late tries but I'm happy we won. Green shoots for England no doubt. Eventually they will click. Maybe against a possibly over confident French team next week? We'll see. Next weekend will be very important for all teams concerned. Round 2 is going to be epic!

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

Round 2, indeed, is lining up to be epic. Agree Re: TCurry - he looked back towards his best.

[@MrFranKane]

At least this pod is very honest and bang on because of it. Love the insight and how neutral and wise it is in commentary

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

Thank you! I appreciate the kind words. Keep watching, there’s tons more content coming. And tell your pals! 👍😊

[@martinmcdonald4207]

You forgot to mention Bundi Aki`s brilliant try to start the ball rolling for Ireland. Enjoyed the chat. Slainte.

[@Analytical2000]

In regards to the Itoje lineout infraction, O'Keefe was notified by his AR (Doleman) who was on the line.

[@ciarancosgrave]

I think that he was a mixed bag. Some beautiful passing and some terrible kicking.

[@EricVerdier-f6y]

I felt that England had no more fuel in the tank after 50 minutes and that the Irish bench was very generous with them once they had won the match. Next week will certainly be much more interesting for the 6 teams.

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

I didn’t feel there was a massive energy drop off from England, they just couldn’t get a toehold in the game and eventually the weight of the Irish pressure told.

[@LeMerch]

@@amateurrugbypodcast I tend to agree with your take. It just had moments where one team had its purple patch and either took advantage or didn't. I think England could have hung in there but that Irish bench just shook everything up.. their replacement 10 changed the game I think. The starting 10 looked quite young, but he did well for such a young guy in a cauldron like that!

[@paulmurray6663]

As an Irish Viewpoint,I think England are on the up,is that enough to win" le Crunch" ? I think Same Starting Team, Bench needs to be Reviewed

[@davidwalker2402]

Prendergast was great, Crowley came on when England were already beaten up, and yes he played great, and those two are a real plus for Ireland.

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

Agreed. A lovely pair to play with.

[@edmondodonovan9618]

Crowley was more assured than Pendergast. Pendergast was a mixed bag of good and bad in equal measure

[@TineBeo]

Can't agree re Prendergast. Bang average and poor kicks in my opinion. I'm sure he will have opportunities to become great but nowhere near that yet. We had a better team when he left with Conan, Crowley, Sheehan coming on. Murray to was solid. Lowe was MOM for me not JGP.. The pundit love affair with Ringrust is still puzzling. Aki 12 Henshaw 13 is the best combo. Once Gary moved to the wing we started to go forward with Henshaw... couldn't be more obvious.

[@JoeBloggz-x2j]

100% mate.

[@normanstewart7130]

​@@TineBeoPrendergast's distribution and passing were excellent. Just go back and look at the Aki try.

[@petermervyn9263]

I thought Ireland were trying to hard in the first half. They had plenty of chances but butchered them. I know England's defence was relentless and up in your face, but Ireland just needed to stay composed and the scores would come.

[@customcarpentryconstructio5945]

From A Life long Ireland fan , with skin in the game , I thought England deserved huge respect the physicality the brought to the game , very clever decisions throughout, world class , love the podcast lads so balanced and respectful to all concerned, keep up the great work .

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

Thank you. Appreciate the kind words about the pod. Join us for a post-match LIVE this weekend!

[@amantedellopera1681]

England are not world class,stop spoofing

[@paulharte77]

I think England need to stick with that team. Their backs are awesome, tbey just need to trust the system. A very good chance they could turn France over. It was an unbelievable game, really tough 1st half for Ireland and I think fitness was the difference and experience was the difference between the both teams.

[@agnessinnott1369]

No its not normal that The Firlds of Athenry was sung . Great game and delighted we got the win .

[@brendanmcnamara1414]

A nice honest review of the game

[@treborsirrah7916]

That singer was new and let's hope we don't Hear from him again.

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

I haven't had a single positive response about that yet.

[@Frankabagnale33]

Fields of athenry not normally sung before games.

[@ricmorris9758]

Just keeping the Munster lads happy

[@myleswalsh6365]

Absolutely no need for it, players and officials standing around waiting for it to end. Embarrassing.

[@jlo7847]

England's first half attack was very good, however that dominance was wasn't transferred to the scoreboard, and that's why Ireland stayed patient I believe.

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

Ireland’s patience was excellent. That comes from a solid body of work from the last 4/5 years - which builds confidence.

[@unaagnew6623]

It wasn’t the fields of Athenry, it was irelands call, irelands second anthem that seemed to run on when it should have been already finished.

[@ConallForbes]

The extra song if planned was not needed fair comments

[@aidanmasterson50]

Prendergast didn’t have the same space and time as Crowley when he came on. Thought both were great under different circumstances.

[@saren6538]

That’s an interesting comment

[@johncallaghan1787]

Much easier as sub as opponents tiring. (Same in soccer, hence Nunez speed used as sub at Liverpool etc)

[@amantedellopera1681]

Ireland were well on their way to winning when crowley came on,sure he was excellent but he had by far the easier ride in last 20

[@aidanmasterson50]

@@saren6538 Crowley’s field position kicking was superb but watch it back, he mostly return kicked and wasn’t under the pressure of Itoje charging him down. His penalty/conversion kicking was excellent, but they were all in the same direction as the good penalty Prendergast kicked. So conditions might not have been as favourable to the kickers in the first half in the opposite direction. Crowley, didn’t touch the ball in any of Irelands tries scored after he came on whereas Prendergast had a role in the first two. It’s was Crowleys missed tackle that let England in for their bonus points. Prendergast might have got sat down by Laurence (I mean who doesn’t) but Laurence didn’t break the line. This is not meant to be critical of Crowley. He is a superb 10 but to compare Prendergast’s performance in a period that differed a lot to the period that Crowley came on for is just unfair.

[@marksheridan669]

England gave us a very tough 1st half and I’m not going to lie I was nervous at half-time! That said Ireland came out roaring the second half and dominated the game in every aspect! The two late tries frm England put some gloss on the score but Ireland were well worth the win!

[@nevanoshaughnessy2311]

Great result for Ire! Eng were really good in 1st half and their defense and structure was immense. Marcus Smith was playing a 'blinder' until his yellow and 'God knows', what lead they may have built only for that. 2nd half was really ALL Ire, but overall Eng deserved the last minute try to get losing BP .... which could be very important come Super Saturday depending on the Ire v Fra result! Prendergast had a nervous opening, but some signs of brilliance there nonetheless. Our bench made a HUGE impact ..... within seconds of Sheehan & Conan coming on they made 2 fantastic line-breaks (showing their class .... Sheehan is a 'stud') then Crowley made the winning difference when he came on. On selection, I said to my mates after the game: "Easterby either got it completely wrong or is a tactical genius ... who knows?"

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

Great summary. Agree with it all. Especially the last sentence :)

[@LFire12]

No, have never heard a singer do that before at an Ireland game. It felt a bit like they were trying to replicate the 'Stand Up And Fight' led song at Thomond for big match days (which actually lends itself to it, and doesn't hold up the game!). Personally I can't stand the singer led stuff, much prefer the anthems just be sung by the crowd, but the IRFU keep persisting with it! Really enjoyable, thanks. But I think you're being a little kind to England's backs to be honest. This is not the first, nor second, time Steward has been found out on one on one defense. He is just not good defensively. Mitchell was all over Lowe, it wasn't that he didn't manage to get a grasp of him, and there wasn't that much of a mismatch, there's no way he should have gotten shrugged off that way. Most of the backline had defensive blunders when the game broke up, and that's a little telling. You can't prioritise attack over defence. It has to be attack built on defence. As for the Itoje penalty, the vid replays clearly shows him on the ground and putting his hand on/nudging Conan's leg while he was in the air...whatever the impact, you are *not* supposed to do that. It was spotted by the assistant ref, and called. So it was not 'wrong'. The only one to blame is Itoje. If he keeps his hands to himself nothing happens.

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

Agreed with you on the singer-led things. It all just feels a bit forced. I agree with you about Steward. He’s worried about his pace so he over commits and can be easily stepped.

[@gregobroin7738]

Interesting chat. On the disallowed try was Itoje not part of the ruck and Beirne entitled to hold him? The touch (push?) at line out was soft penalty but jump to compete don’t do push. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 need to work on 1. Discipline / penalty count, 2. Lack of bite to attack (whole game) and 3. Line out. Finally Will the Itoje stamp on Hanson toe caught on camera come back to haunt. Can 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 beat France? - yes. FRA don’t travel well and 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 need to disrupt. Unlike 🇮🇪they are not patient and loose it when things don’t work. (Hate the singing after national anthems).

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

I'm having a chat with a referee this evening, so I will put your questions to him - look out for that vid later on tonight.

[@gregobroin7738]

@ great will look out for it. Interested in Refs opinion. I could be wrong!

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

Video is here - discussing various law topics, including Greg's question above. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZTaiIOrgpaHf8k Let's have more questions about the laws and I'll pose them to Matt next week! Cheers!

[@johncallaghan1787]

Much easier as sub as opponents tiring. (Same in soccer, hence Nunez speed used as sub at Liverpool etc)

[@darthmong7196]

Discipline key. England compounding errors. Both sides can take positives away. Murley made a howler but for the most part defended well and looked razor sharp in attack.

[@johnhearne2192]

Itoge was warned about closing the gap and he did reach across and if you see Conan he was moved sideways by the push and that is why the throw was missed. Itoge gives away too many senseless penalties to be a credible captain.

[@CdeB93]

The singer isn't normal, i think its an attempt to improve the atmosphere in the Aviva. Weird ad break on Irish TV during that period where they flipped really quickly back to the live feed.

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

Thanks for the heads up. The timing of it just felt a little off to me. Did you like it?

[@CdeB93]

@amateurrugbypodcast Helped a bit with getting a bit more noise across on the telly, I think it did help the fans in the stadium also get going. Didn't like or dislike it so no firm opinion. Personally would prefer a French style band or a school boys section to get the noise up.

[@neilmontgomery3470]

The best way to improve the atmosphere is to give real fans tickets at prices they can afford and close the bars during the game.

[@ivansmith4325]

I thought it was a bad idea listening to the singer. We want the teams to sing and see the passion on their faces. I thought he ruined it and the players were very perplexed with what was happening. Not the greatest idea whoever decided it!!!!!!

[@DufftronicOk]

I love M Smiths attacking game, but his defence just isn't good enough at this level. I think F Smith is a far better overall performer. Freddie Steward has the same defensive issues. Being 'good in the air' for the 3 catches he has to make in a game isn't a good enough reason to pick him. As an Ireland fan im not complaining, but surely England has better options out there.

[@ConorOLeary-rl4bs]

I think England played well but it almost seems like they are Hamstrung by certain tactics from the coaches/management. I feel they don’t play what’s infront of them. Playing Marcus Smith means he needs to be given that licence. I don’t think England would have beaten us necessarily, but it would have made the game closer later on

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

I think there certainly have been times when that is the case, but I feel it less so at the moment. England showed glimpses of some good unstructured attack they just didn't have enough territory and possession (particularly in the 2nd half) to show more.

[@peterh8129]

I think England got what they deserved out of that 2nd half, which was not much & the final score probably flattered us quite a lot. However, I wondered what you thought of Seamus Diarmuid Padraig Niall Donnacha O'Keefe saying to both captains "the next one to run in gets a yellow". But when Lowe did that he ignored it so why stop the game to give that lecture in the 1st place. He then followed it up with the lineout assault call which is one of the worst decisions I've seen for some time at this level.

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

I think referees are human and sometimes they'll make mistakes.

[@amantedellopera1681]

Watch the gsme again,itoje was warned previously and doleman notified o keefe of the shove,regardless of how soft or hard thd shove was,it was still an infringement,he can have no argument he was warned.plus i think he was annoying ref with all his whinging,compare his approach to ref with that of doris,plsin to see doris a shoe in for lions captain

[@aidanmasterson50]

Guinness zero is never normal.

[@geoffnelson6756]

It seemed like Ireland were camped in the England 22 for most of the first half, not coming away with points for a number of reasons. Think Ireland will look back and see 2 or 3 tries they should have scored, ultimately the 27 - 22 flattered England.

[@RazorMouth]

Sheahan slammed the ball like that to make a point. He's been out with injury and scored 2 tried for leinster the week before. He wasnt picked to start becuase they were worried if he was ready. He was like "im the man and never doubt me" Hes the best hooker in the world due to his multiple abilities, speed and just overall rugby smarts. Often out on the wing, in places you'd not expect a hooker to be, his speed for a hooker is definitely a stand out vs other hookers too.

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

It was a great moment! Iconic.

[@RazorMouth]

"Its not always an advantage to have the ball" Totally disagree, defending and tackling drains way more energy than attacking. Possession wins games and yes ill agree territory is obviously massive.

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

What about if it's really bad weather?

[@RazorMouth]

@@amateurrugbypodcast it wasn’t bad weather on Saturday. But yes in wet and wind it’s generally more route one Rugby so it would be more energy sapping attacking but still not as much as defending and tackling

[@AMan-zt8tz]

No, it's not normal, and it's bollocks!

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Stereo_mike]

England turned over no lineouts and Ireland had free rein from touch. So the high penalty count and bad kicking really hurt England for territory and possession

[@markc3258]

After the anthems game usual starts .. Never seen that before And hopefully never again . I wonder was the extra song added in because in recent games complaints of poor atmosphere.. ?

[@daithipol]

Fields of A is soccer song taken up by munster bandwaggoners no need for it at an Irish game. Even if it is about English oppression 😊

[@bryanmacinnes]

good analysis I don't like the singing anthems also fields of Athenry was unbelievable.

[@michaelvdunne]

Just look at the English players who over the past 10-30 years have given away SERIOUSLY STUPID PENALTIES. It will frighten the life out of you. Even playing with the Lions I saw a Lions game in which the ENGLISH gave 5-9 penalties all on their own.

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

This has frustrated me for a while. The tide does seem to have been stemmed though. Most of the pens yesterday were forced due to Irish pressure.

[@MrFranKane]

@ 10-10 Maro Pen was bullshit... I'm Irish loved that we won, but that was absolute nonsense, He put his arm out as someone was falling towards him. Calm down Ref

[@olmecking1]

Prendergast was poor, let's call it how it was. Plenty of time for him to prove himself, but yesterday wasn't his day.

[@BillMcDonald63]

U need to cut Prendergast some slack. First 6 Nations start against a ferocious Eng defence. Some of his passes were excellent under extreme pressure.

[@olmecking1]

@BillMcDonald63 I'm a big fan of the guy, but in international matches, especially 6nations, there are no excuses. He didn't get the back line clicking, and missed 2 sitters of conversions. He will be awesome, I think, but was far from it Saturday.

[@amantedellopera1681]

​@@olmecking1crowley had an arm chair ride,his kicking stats in urc are 27% and 77.8 in heiniken way behind sam

[@olmecking1]

@amantedellopera1681 I'm not talking about Crowley, the URC, Heineken Cup, or armchairs. I'm just expressing my opinion that Sam was under savage pressure, and, on his 13th professional start in his career, did not have the impact that, he, or the Irish fans would have liked him to have. Im really looking forward to him being a world class 10. Please keep this Munster v Leinster crap to the other 12 year olds in your classroom.

[@markc3258]

After the anthems game usual starts .. Ne er seen that before And hopefully never again .

[@eamonndawson5329]

I can’t stand these singers who are all about showcase themselves and their range , I want to hear the crowd, don’t know what the extra song was all about , the singer didn’t want to get off 😂

[@Frankabagnale33]

So many Irish mistakes in the first half, or it probably would have been more comfortable in the first half. Partly English pressure but partly just handling error.

[@johnhearne2192]

If Ireland kicked a few penalties in the first half we would and should have led at half time. So the score actually flattered England at half time as the final score did. In the first half England did well and disrupted Ireland. They won turnovers but when the ball was won the players didn't know what to do with it. It looked like England had no attack ideas or shape. We are disgusted at conceding 3 tries, especially the two late in the game. You guys are patting yourselves on the back for Englands defence and you conceded 4 tries. Until you look at a total game plan including attack and defence you are going to continue to struggle in test rugby. Good test match but always only going to be one winner.

[@davidwalker2402]

I think England beat Ireland 12 months ago the only top team in the world they’ve beaten in 3 years, they then go and change from a brilliant attack and defense system to playing teams just to stop them playing and that has now backfired. Their back line players of Murley steward M Smith and worst of all Mitchell were a disaster and other teams will watch this and use it. Aki running over smith something SA and Australia done shows a real problem putting him on the wing he’s too small and weak .

[@mgreengiant]

Okay, it was a fairly soft penalty in the lineout against Itoje, but he wasn't competing, he did push and Ireland didn't win the ball. Its foul play and dumb. So all of your points are moot. If it was the other way round and England got the penalty. Would you be complaining to the same extent? I bet not. England weren't fit enough and looked gassed after fifty minutes. Having said all of that, I think there were good signs for england after the autumn internationals performance. I hope Cadan Murley doesn't get crucified by your media

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

I'm pretty sure most people would be happy to argue either side of that lineout infringement.

[@decmurray1096]

Itojes push was as cynical as Tadgh Beirnes hold in the ruck. It was a small push, but perfectly timed, if you watch it, the jumper moves and it changed the timing enough for him to miss. He had been warned previously as well, so it could have been a yellow. .... It's clear you guys aren't lineout operators

[@mgreengiant]

@@amateurrugbypodcast maybe so but a push is a push. It’s against the laws of the game

[@tobymcflurry258]

England had a good first 45 and last 5, but in the remaining half an hour completely and utterly disappeared, didnt get any posession or territory. New Zealand B team (Lowe, Aki, Gibson-Park, and the ref) dominated in that period and won the game 🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿

[@rabhiggins7343]

M Smith is a v decent #10 with the potential to be a great #10. . .but an international standard fullback he is not, nor ever will be.

[@davidwalker2402]

I think England beat Ireland 12 months ago the only top team in the world they’ve beaten in 3 years, they then go and change from a brilliant attack and defense system to playing teams just to stop them playing and that has now backfired. Their back line players of Murley steward M Smith and worst of all Mitchell were a disaster and other teams will watch this and use it. Aki running over smith something SA and Australia done shows a real problem putting him on the wing he’s too small and weak .

[@amateurrugbypodcast]

I think calling 4 players a disaster for a few individual errors is harsh. They all contributed a lot of positive things to this England performance. The errors were, of course, glaringly obvious, but I’d back them all to come back strong next week. Ain’t nobody ever played the perfect game.

[@neilmontgomery3470]

Ireland did have quite a bit go wrong in that game. They had a 6/2 split and then had injuries in the backfield. Gibson Park was playing on the wing.