In a profoundly one-sided Six Nations match played out in London, England trounced Ireland with a sweeping score of 88-10. England’s ferocious onslaught saw them notch up six tries before the break, effectively ending the competitive aspect of the match. Despite their anticipation of a challenging game in Twickenham due to past failures to defeat England since 2015 and score against them since 2019, the Irish side were overwhelmed by England’s relentless attack.
Dannah O’Brien of Ireland managed to redeem some pride with a penalty in the first half. Nonetheless, the scale of the Irish defeat, highlighted by a total of 14 tries, six in the first half and eight in the second, underscores the daunting nature of the encounter for the flagging Irish side.
Ellie Kildunne of England starred in the match, securing a hat-trick and clinching the Player of the Match honour. Abby Dow also emerged as a key contributor with three tries in the latter stages of the match, where the Irish defence cracked under pressure. The impressive victory bodes well for England’s crucial upcoming Six Nations Grand Slam encounter with France.
Despite receiving attention from Aoibheann Reilly and Lauren Delany, Abby Dow arrived at the first try only seven minutes into the match, instigating an onslaught. Shortly after, Natasha Hunt broke away, got tackled, and subsequently ran in a try in the next move. Megan Jones and Zoe Aldcroft further added to Ireland’s challenges by adopting an aggressive, fast-paced approach contributing to England’s soaring scoreline that reached 26-0 in 20 minutes.
Ireland responded with a penalty by O’Brien, bringing the score to 26-3, but failed to halt England’s momentum. Ellie Kildunne made a notable contribution here, securing a try for herself and later enabling Dow’s final try of the half. Despite demonstrating commendable bravery, the Irish team struggled with aspects of scrum, lineout, kicking, and tackling, leaving them trailing 38-3 at half-time. Sophie Ellis-Bextor provided halftime entertainment, which was cruelly ironic for Ireland, singing “Murder on the Dancefloor”.
After Jess Breach scored, a series of tries from Sadia Kabeya and others followed. Lucy Packer was penalised, allowing Ireland a penalty try and sending her off temporarily. Jones and Dow also rejoined the scoring, with Dow tallying her third try of the match at the 64th minute.
Shortly after, at the 68th minute of play, Kildunne brought in her second try. Breach also added to the scoreline once more. Kildunne scored her ninth tournament try, contributing to a total score of 83-10. The game was finalised with Maddie Feaunati’s try in the 76th minute, culminating in an impressive score of 88-10 for England.
The match featured several commendable performances, with a score list reading 5-0, 12-0, 19-0, 26-0, 26-3, 33-3, 38-3 at halftime, followed by 43-3, 50-3, 50-10, 57-10, 64-10, 71-10, 78-10, 83-10 and finally 88-10 in the second half.
England’s team was composed of standout players like Abby Dow, Megan Jones, and Tatyana Heard, alongside Jess Breach and the superb Ellie Kildunne. Accompanying them in the team were Holly Aitchison, Natasha Hunt, Hannah Botterman, Lark Atkin-Davies, Maud Muir, Zoe Aldcroft, Morwenna Talling, Sadia Kabeya, team captain Marlie Packer, and Alex Matthews.
Substitutions were made as follows: Aitkin-Davies was replaced by Connie Powell at 34 minutes. Later, at 44 minutes, Botterman made way for Mackenzie Carson and Hunt was substituted by Lucy Packer at 49 minutes. At the same time, Kelsey Clifford came in for Muir. Later, at 61 minutes, M Packer was substituted for Maddie Feaunati and 2 minutes later, Heard was replaced by Emily Scarratt. The last change came at 68 minutes with Sydney Gregson substituting Jones.
In an unfortunate turn of events, L Packer was issued a yellow card.
Representing Ireland were: Lauren Delany, Katie Corrigan, Eve Higgins, Aoife Dalton, Béibhinn Parsons, Dannah O’Brien, and Aoibheann Reilly. The team also included Linda Djougang, Neve Jones, Christy Haney, Dorothy Wall, Hannah O’Connor, Aoife Wafer, captain Edel McMahon, and Brittany Hogan.
Interchanges for the Irish team included: Higgins being replaced by Enya Breen after 40 minutes. Following swiftly, at 40 minutes, Delany made space for Méabh Deely. Shortly thereafter, N Jones was replaced by Clíodhna Moloney at 44 minutes. At 55, Ikahihifo came in for Hogan, followed by Reilly being replaced by Molly Scuffil-McCabe at 60 minutes. Subsequently, Haney stepped back for Sadhbh McGrath after 61 minutes, and lastly, O’Dowd was swapped for Djougang at 62 minutes.