Ireland vs England Prediction, Odds and Lineups: Top tips for Six Nations clash

One of rugby's fiercest rivalries continues on Saturday in the first round of the 2025 Six Nations. Both Ireland and England go into this year's Championship in genuine contention of emerging victorious, with Ireland looking to win the Six Nations for the third year in a row, an achievement that has never been done before.

This game starts at 4.45pm at the Aviva Stadium and can be watched live on ITV.

One player to look out for in this game is James Lowe. The Leinster winger has just about returned from injury in time for this game and has been given a start by interim coach Simon Easterby.

Like the rest of the Ireland squad, Lowe was pretty average in the nation's Autumn International's and will be keen to show that this was a once off and that he still deserves to be starting in this Ireland squad.  A home game against bitter rivals is the perfect chance for James Lowe to prove himself.

At his best Lowe is fantastic and has been a key figure for Ireland over the last few years. At last year's Six Nations, he was in immense form, scoring four tries over the course of the championship. Given his track record, betting on James Lowe to score a try against England appears to be a smart choice.

For my second tip, I am predicting that Ireland will win with a -7.5 handicap.

Ireland are looking to create history this year by becoming the first-ever side to win the Six Nations three years in a row. Although this will certainly not be easy, the fixtures for this year's tournament have slightly swung in Ireland's favour. Instead of having to make tough trips to Twickenham or the Stade de France, Ireland will instead play their two toughest opponents, England and France, at home in Dublin.

Ireland coach Andy Farrell has taken a year of absence from the side in order to focus on the British & Irish Lions, who he will be coaching this year. This leaves Ireland with an interim coach in Simon Esterby this year. England's side is no joke, with players like Freddie Stewart, Henry Slade, and Ollie Lawrence being more than capable of causing problems. However, I expect Ireland to look for a statement win to show that they mean business in this year's tournament.

Ireland vs England Lineups

Ireland

Starting Lineup: Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, James Lowe, Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park, Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham, James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne, Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris

Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Cian Healy, Thomas Clarkson, Iain Henderson, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Jack Crowley, Robbie Henshaw.

England

Starting Lineup: Freddie Stewart, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Lawrence, Henry Slade, Cadan Murley, Marcus Smith, Alex Murphy, Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Will Stuart, Maro Itoje, George Martin, Tom Curry, Ben Curry, Ben Earl

Replacements: Theo Dan, Fin Baxter, Joe Heyes, Ollie Chessum, Chandler Cunningham-South, Tom Willis, Harry Randall, Fin Smith