England vs. Ireland Predictions: The home side to win to set up a final showdown with France

We’re well into the penultimate weekend of the Six Nations Championship at this point, and we’re rounding it off with what is sure to be a cracking match at Twickenham between England and Ireland.

Both sides still have a chance of ending the tournament next week as winners, with all eyes being on Cardiff tonight to see if Wales can beat France. Ireland are slight favourites to win Saturday’s game, at just under evens, with England priced at around 11/10 to win. There hasn’t been a draw between these two nations since February 1968, but for those who are wondering, you can find the biggest price for the scores to end level at Unibet, who have it at 22/1.

Sam Simmonds starts at number eight for England, who also include Joe Launchbury on the replacements for potentially his first cap since 2020. Randall and Smith are at 9 & 10 for the home side, who start Randall and Slade in the centre.

Ireland have opted for experience on Saturday, with the legendary Johnny Sexton coming back into the starting XV. Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose complete a starting centre pairing, with the likes of Cian Healy, Tadhg Furlong and Peter O’Mahony ensuring there’s a strong presence in the forward pack, as Ireland look to win at Twickenham for just the third time since 2010. As ever we’ve looked ahead to the game, and picked out two tips we like the look of.

First off, we’re going for the home side to take the points here. I think it’ll be a really close game overall, and whilst Ireland have opted for experience in their side, I believe that may actually work against them as the game goes on. As previously mentioned, the Irish haven’t had a great time at Twickenham in recent years, and that record, coupled with the pace and exuberance of England’s attack, will see the home side just grind it out in my mind. The prospect of beating Ireland and facing France in a final showdown could also be one that inspires the English further.

Up next, we’re looking at one of Ireland’s returning centres, Garry Ringrose, to score a try on Saturday afternoon. Ringrose has a decent return of 11 tries in his 39 caps so far, and has actually scored against England before, crossing the line in the 2018 Six Nations tournament. Ringrose scored in Ireland’s opening game win against Wales, and I believe his partnership with the also-returning Aki, will lead to gaps being exploited at times through the middle, and the price boost of 5/1 looks good compared to 3/1 elsewhere.

Best of luck if you’re following these tips, and please gamble responsibly.