![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/94431_2929397.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Erin King captained side has the tournament’s toughest task first-up<\/p>\n
Ireland Women’s Rugby Squad Training, IRFU High Performance Centre, Blanchardstown,
\nStacey Flood (Image: \u00a9INPHO\/Ben Brady)<\/p>\n
The Erin King captained Ireland open their Six Nations campaign with the toughest task in women’s rugby – not only playing away at Twickenham but a sold out Twickenham.<\/p>\n
Ireland got smashed 88-10 the last time they played at the London venue, albeit a ‘half-empty’ ground with less that 50,000 present.<\/p>\n
Ireland did better last year in Musgrave Park, going 5-0 up (an Amy Costigan try) and were 5-7 down at half-time before England won 5-49.<\/p>\n
A difference between 2024 and 2025 was the appointment of Scott Bemand as Head Coach while the IRFU had changed policy and allowed Sevens players be considered for selection.<\/p>\n
This is a useful Irish XV with backs such as \u2060Stacey Flood, \u2060B\u00e9ibhinn Parsons and Eve Higgins being talked about as potential Lions.<\/p>\n
The half-back partnership of \u2060Dannah O\u2019Brien and Eily Lane will find themselves under scrutiny but Bemand’s game-plan has been to simplify this area – watch for back-rows as first receivers and in the half-backs’ tackle zone.<\/p>\n
The Ireland front-row – and their back-up – could be in for a long day although Linda Djougang is a very capable tighthead and has, in the past, made several Six Nations XVs of the Tournament.<\/p>\n
Bemand has gone for an ultra-mobile back-five, one suspicion is that he has picked the best five rugby players in this area and they just all happen to be back-rows.<\/p>\n
England-based Wexford girl, the No8 Aoife Wafer, has the potential to stand out, England found her a handful last year – she is a special talent.<\/p>\n
England are world-ranked no1, World Cup holders winning that title last year, have a professional domestic league, will be smarting from last year’s first-half, and will have a bench comparable to the run-on side.<\/p>\n
For rugby purists, there is special reason to watch, England have a full-back Ellie Kildunne who runs on the wind, changes direction at will, and is one of the greatest female rugby players the world has ever seen. She has great hair too.<\/p>\n
Here’s what you need to know about this fixture:<\/p>\n
What: 2026 Six Nations, first round<\/p>\n
Where: Twickenham<\/p>\n
When: April 11th<\/p>\n
Kick-off: 2.25pm<\/p>\n
What TV channel is it on? RTE2 and RTE Player coverage starts 2pm. also RT Radio 1.<\/p>\n
Referee: Antoine Groizeleau (France) TMO: Matteo Lipperini (France)<\/p>\n
Quotes corner:<\/p>\n
Ireland coach Scott Bemand: “A couple of years ago – people have asked me about the last time an Ireland women’s side went to Twickenham – it was a different story. That group was young with less experience. Now you’ve got a group that’s going to get energised by a crowd, by an occasion. These are the occasions that we want to be part of. We want people to see that we can go to England and fire shots and actually put a performance out there. If we get the performance right, the result will take care of itself. But we want people to get behind it. This is a great time to be involved in these spaces.”<\/p>\n
Ireland centre Eve Higgins on last year’s game in Cork: “I suppose for the first 45\/50 minutes, we really took it to them. But also we probably left two or three chances of scoring tries in that first half. And if you went in at half-time, even 20 points ahead, that could have been a very different outcome and I think that’s our main takeaway when we revisited that was we created opportunities, we just need to take them. The difference between scoring a try and not converting that can do huge things mentally to other teams and it can change the way games are played out. We can gain confidence that we did create those opportunities and we just kind of need to take them at this stage.<\/p>\n
Betting odds: England 1\/200 draw 50\/1 Ireland 50\/1<\/p>\n
LINE-UPS:<\/p>\n
Ireland: \u2060Stacey Flood (Railway Union\/Leinster); \u2060B\u00e9ibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College\/Connacht), \u2060Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere\/Leinster), Eve Higgins (Railway Union\/Leinster), Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow\/Leinster); \u2060Dannah O\u2019Brien (Old Belvedere\/Leinster); \u2060Emily Lane (Blackrock College\/Munster)<\/p>\n
Ellena Perry (Gloucester-Hartpury), \u2060Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs),\u2060 \u2060Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere RFC\/Leinster), \u2060Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC\/Ulster), \u2060Brittany Hogan (Sale Sharks), \u2060Erin King (Old Belvedere RFC\/Leinster) capt, \u2060Aoife Wafer (Harlequins).<\/p>\n
Replacements:\u2060 Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), \u2060Niamh O\u2019Dowd (Gloucester-Hartpury), Eil\u00eds Cahill (UL Bohs\/Munster)*, \u2060Ruth Campbell (Old Belvedere\/Leinster), Grace Moore (Trailfinders), \u2060Katie Whelan (Old Belvedere\/Leinster)*, Nancy McGillivray (Exeter Chiefs), Anna McGann (Railway Union\/Connacht)(14)<\/p>\n
England: Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins); Jess Breach (Saracens), Megan Jones (Trailfinders) capt, Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning), Claudia Moloney-MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs); Holly Aitchison (Sale Sharks), Lucy Packer (Harlequins)<\/p>\n
Kelsey Clifford (Saracens), Amy Cokayne (Sale Sharks), Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears), Morwenna Talling (Sale Sharks), Lilli Ives Campion (Loughborough Lightning), Maddie Feaunati (Exeter Chiefs), Sadia Kabeya (Loughborough Lightning), Alex Matthews (Gloucester-Hartpury)<\/p>\n
Replacements: Connie Powell (Harlequins), Mackenzie Carson (Gloucester-Hartpury), Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury), Haineala Lutui (Loughborough Lightning), Abi Burton (Trailfinders), Natasha Hunt (Gloucester-Hartpury), Zoe Harrison (Saracens), Emma Sing (Gloucester-Hartpury)<\/p>\n