Both England and Ireland have one win apiece – it’s Championship life or death for both
23:59, 20 Feb 2026Updated 07:53, 21 Feb 2026
2026 Men’s Six Nations Championship Round 2, Aviva Stadium, Dublin 14/2/2026
Ireland vs Italy, Ireland’s Robert Baloucoune scores his sides third try of the match despite Italy’s Lorenzo Cannone(Image: ©INPHO)
Ireland take on England at the Twickenham this afternoon.
Andy Farrell had made five changes to the side that beat Italy last Saturday bringing in/back Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park, Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne and Nick Timony.
England opened well thrashing Wales but were derailed last week, losing 20-31 to Scotland at Murrayfield.
Here’s what you need to know about this afternoon’s game:
Who: Engalnd vs Ireland
What: 2026 Six Nations Championship
Where: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London
When: Saturday, Feb 21st
What time is kick-off? 2.10pm
What are the other third round matches; Wales vs Scotland, 4.40pm Sat; France vs Italy, 3.10pm Sun
What were the first round results: France 36-14 Ireland; Italy 18-15 Scotland; England 48-7 Wales
What were the second round results: Ireland 20-13 Italy; Scotland 31-20; England; Wales 12-54 France
Quotes corner
Steve Borthwick, England coach: “It didn’t quite go the way we wanted it to. I’m backing players there and I want players to feel backed. You saw the carry that (the returning) Ollie Lawrence can bring. He can take a game forward with his ball carry. That’s his big point of difference.
“Ireland have got a half a Lions team and they all play together so much for Leinster. It’s such a cohesive team that has such incredible understanding.”
Tadhg Furlong on ‘tired’ Lions: “I don’t think it’s much of an excuse to be honest with you. It definitely puts strain on your body for some lads, I’d feel. Some lads play eight games on them tours, so it’s a lot of strain on them.”Does that have a hangover? I’m not sure. I think mentally, for some players, to get on the Lions is nearly like their pinnacle. Next thing, how do they get up for the next game, or how do they get up for this game or that game?”Everything maybe seems insignificant the year after, maybe they think they’re better than they are.”
Andy Farrell, Ireland coach: “We want to make sure that our set-piece and the way that we go forward in general as far as the gainline is concerned, both sides of the ball is pretty important against an English side that is very good at that.
“The English thrive on the high-ball situation and the lack of discipline from the opposition to kick you into the 22, and put you under pressure so we need to make sure that our discipline and our collective plan as far as the overall game, as far as the kicking game is concerned, is pretty important.
Did you know? England will be captained by 2025 Lions skipper Maro Itoje who will be making his 100th England appearance.
Did you know? Last season, 2025, Louis Bielle-Biarrey France was top try scorer with eight tries; second were Dan Sheehan and Tommy Freeman with five.
Betting odds: England 2/9 draw 30/1 Ireland 7/2
Handicap: England -10 points
Six Nations outright: France 1/7, England 8/1, Scotland 20/1, Ireland 55/1, Italy 125/1, Wales 500/1
Popular Bets: Dan Sheehan first try-scorer 12/1, anytime try-scorer 15/8; Henry Pollock 6/1 Man of the Match, Stuart McCloskey Man of the Match 60/1
What TV channel is it on? Saturday’s match will be shown live on RTE Sport, ITV, TF1,, SuperSport, Sky Italia, Sky NZ, Stan Sports, Peacock with live radio commentary available on RTE Radio 1.
Line-Ups
ENGLAND: Freddie Steward, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Lawrence, Fraser Dingwall, Henry Arundell; George Ford, Alex Mitchell; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Joe Heyes; Maro Itoje (capt), Ollie Chessum; Tom Curry, Ben Earl, Henry Pollock. Replacements: Jamie George, Bevan Rodd, Trevor Davison, Alex Coles, Guy Pepper, Sam Underhill, Jack van Poortvliet, Marcus Smith.
IRELAND: Jamie Osborne; Robert Baloucoune, Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey, James Lowe; Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Jeremy Loughman, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt). Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Tom O’Toole, Finlay Bealham, Nick Timoney, Jack Conan, Craig Casey, Ciaran Frawley, Tommy O’Brien.
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)
Assistant Referees: Pierre Brousset (FFR), Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)
Want to see more of the stories you love from the Irish Mirror? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Irish Mirror as a preferred source, simply click here.