Andy Farrell has some big calls on his hands as he prepares to name his Ireland team to face England this Saturday.
Ireland got their first points on the board in this year’s Six Nations with a nervy victory over Italy last week, while England were walloped by Scotland at Murrayfield to end their Grand Slam hopes.
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Both teams will be desperate to get a second win at Twickenham on Saturday, and Andy Farrell is likely to make a few changes to his Irish selection.
We have all the team news in one place ahead of England v Ireland this Saturday.
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When will Andy Farrell name Ireland team to play England?
Andy Farrell is expected to name his Ireland team to face England at lunchtime on Thursday afternoon.
Who’s ruled out for Ireland?
Ireland thankfully report no fresh injury concerns from last Saturday’s 20-13 win over Italy in Dublin.
There are, however, still a solid cohort of contenders to start who remain sidelined.
Out for the tournament: Ryan Baird, Shayne Bolton, Mack Hansen, Jordan Larmour, Paddy McCarthy
Ruled out but could return later in Six Nations: Robbie Henshaw, Calvin Nash, Jimmy O’Brien, Andrew Porter
England team news
Maro Itoje is set to make his 100th England Rugby appearance 👏
Head coach Steve Borthwick has named his match day squad to face Ireland at @allianz_stad this Saturday.@O2 | #WearTheRose
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 17, 2026
England head coach Steve Borthwick named his team to face Ireland on Tuesday afternoon, and he has made a big call in the back row.
Maverick flanker Henry Pollock will make his first-ever test start at Twickenham, as he starts alongside the vastly experienced Tom Curry and Ben Earl in the back row.
Despite receiving a 20-minute red card for two sin-bins against Scotland, Henry Arundell has been cleared to play against Ireland. A disciplinary update circulated on Tuesday ruled that “the sending off of the player had been a sufficient sanction, and no further sanction was appropriate.”
England team to play Ireland: 15 Freddie Steward; 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Henry Arundell; 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 Joe Heyes; 4 Maro Itoje (captain), 5 Ollie Chessum; 6 Tom Curry, 7 Ben Earl, 8 Henry Pollock
England replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Bevan Rood, 18 Trevor Davison, 19 Alex Coles, 20 Guy Pepper, 21 Sam Underhill, 22 Jack van Poortvliet, 23 Marcus Smith
What time is England v Ireland?
England v Ireland takes place this Saturday, February 21st, with kick-off at 2:10pm at Twickenham.
How to watch England v Ireland
England v Ireland will be live on RTÉ 2, with coverage getting underway at 1pm.
It will also be shown live on ITV in the UK – here is our guide on how to get the channel in Ireland.
Six Nations standings and fixtures
Pos.
Team
Pld
W
D
L
PF
PA
PD
TF
TA
BP
Points
1
France
2
2
0
0
90
26
+64
13
4
2
10
2
Scotland
2
1
0
1
46
38
+8
6
4
2
6
3
England
2
1
0
1
68
38
+30
9
5
1
5
4
Italy
2
1
0
1
31
35
-4
3
5
1
5
5
Ireland
2
1
0
1
34
49
-15
5
6
0
4
6
Wales
2
0
0
2
19
102
-83
3
15
0
0
Round 3 fixtures
Sat 21/02/26, 2:10pm: England v Ireland (London, live on RTÉ 2 / ITV)
Sat 21/02/26, 4:40pm: Wales v Scotland (Cardiff, live on Virgin Media 1 / BBC One)
Sun 22/02/26, 3:10pm: France v Italy (Lille, live on RTÉ 2 / ITV)
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