At first glance, the upcoming Six Nations clash between England and Ireland may lack the import and impact of previous fixtures. After all, Ireland have been dominant in defence of the title they won in 2023, while England have struggled for fluency and were beaten by Scotland at Murrayfield on matchday three.
However, England will have a passionate Twickenham crowd behind them when the sides meet on Saturday, March 9th, while a win for the Three Lions would fire them right back into Six Nations contention.
England also showcased their resilience during the 2023 World Cup, when they were a point away from reaching the final despite being written off before the tournament. But can they secure a much-needed win here, or will the Irish maintain their domestic dominance in the English capital?
Attack vs Defence – Coping With the Relentless Irish
If this Irish team has a standout feature, it’s the ability to relentlessly pound the opposition. In fact, their penchant for sustaining attacks means that they’ve forced the opposition into 181 tackles per match during the first three rounds of Six Nations fixtures, with only Wales coming close to matching this so far (167).
Of course, the eight highest team tackle counts in Six Nations history have all been made against Irish opposition, so this phenomenon is nothing new.
In their 2024 campaign, Ireland have also boasted 58% possession per 80 minutes, so their opponents are having to spend most of their time and energy repelling the Wolfhounds attack.
While the English forward line is tough and experienced enough to contend with this, they’ll need to sharpen their attacking game if they’re to relieve pressure on their defence. This has been the weakest part of England’s game during the Six Nations so far, with a lack of structure and cohesion causing them to waste several attacking opportunities in their defeat against the Scots.
England’s attacking shape has certainly been ineffective, while handling errors have also undermined their potency. They made 24 such errors along against Scotland, while they frequently started their attacks from too far behind the game line as well.
Why Ball Carrying Could be Key for England
Of course, another notable feature of England’s game is their ‘blitz’ defence. However, this is unlikely to trouble a well-balanced Ireland side, while new Three Lions coach Felix Jones has much work to do to fine-tune England’s bold defensive strategy.
If the English defence does hold firm against the Irish, their ball-carrying could be key to relieving pressure and gaining yards. Unfortunately, this part of the game was also lacking against Scotland, despite Ben Earl’s tireless efforts (he returned 48 meters from 16 carries at Murrayfield as a number eight).
England could remedy this by selecting additional ball carriers like Alex Dombrandt, with the dynamic back-rower also renowned for his ability to initiate turnovers and lead counterattacks.
Zach Mercer provides a similar option at number eight, while this would enable Earls to move back into the openside flanker position (where he’s arguably more comfortable).
This type of thinking and selection policy may help to close the obvious gap on the Irish team, who know that a win will England’s slim chances of winning the 2024 Six Nations crown.
While England will be fiercely competitive regardless of their tactics and selection, however, they’ll need to right game plan and execution if they’re to actually overcome Andy Farrell’s well-oiled machine.