Ireland begin their Six Nations defence in Dublin against their rivals England.
Ireland’s 2025 Six Nations campaign kicks off with a clash against old rivals England at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Here is everything you need to know about Ireland’s first match of the 2025 Six Nations, including TV details, and team news.
You can follow the match in our live blog above.
What date and time is Ireland vs England?
Ireland take on England at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday, February 1.
Kick-off is at 4:45 pm.
What is at stake and what was the result in the last Six Nations match between Ireland and England?
Reigning champions Ireland face a difficult test against Steve Borthwick’s side, and will need to start the campaign with a win if they are to claim another Grand Slam.
They last won the Grand Slam in 2023.
If Ireland are to be victorious again, however, they must do so without manager Andy Farrell.
The English coach has been appointed head coach of the British and Irish Lions, and will therefore miss the 2025 Six Nations. Simon Easterby has stepped in as interim manager.
Farrell, however, will still be keeping a close on proceedings, as the 2025 Six Nations campaign will also undoubtedly strongly influence his Lions selection.
Ireland will be the favourites for the clash on February 1, but England will still provide a stern challenge.
Bortwick’s team narrowly beat Ireland 23-22 at Twickenham in last year’s tournament, ending the away team’s Grand Slam hopes.
How can I watch
In Ireland, RTÉ and Virgin Media are sharing coverage of the tournament, while the BBC and ITV share coverage in the UK.
In Ireland, you can watch Ireland vs England on Virgin Media 1, and stream the game on the Virgin Media Player.
In the UK, the Six Nations match will be broadcast live on ITV 1, and you can stream it live on ITVX.
Team news.
Ireland named their squad last week. Caelan Doris will captain the team, and uncapped Leinster prop Jack Boyle has been included in the squad.
You can see the full squad below:
England also named their squad last week. The headline from the selection was that Maro Itoje has replaced Jamie George as captain.
You can see their full squad below.
Forwards: Fin Baxter (Harlequins), Ollie Chessum (Leicester), Alex Coles (Northampton), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale), Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins), Ben Curry (Sale), Tom Curry (Sale), Theo Dan (Saracens), Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins), Ben Earl (Saracens), Ellis Genge (Bristol), Jamie George (Saracens), Joe Heyes (Leicester), Ted Hill (Bath), Maro Itoje (Saracens), George Martin (Leicester), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale), Bevan Rodd (Sale), Will Stuart (Bath), Tom Willis (Saracens).
Backs: Oscar Beard (Harlequins), Elliot Daly (Saracens), Fraser Dingwall (Northampton), George Ford (Sale), Tommy Freeman (Northampton), Ollie Lawrence (Bath), Alex Mitchell (Northampton), Cadan Murley (Harlequins), Harry Randall (Bristol), Tom Roebuck (Sale), Henry Slade (Exeter), Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton), Fin Smith (Northampton), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Freddie Steward (Leicester), Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester).
What are the odds?
Ireland are firm favourites to win the game with odds of 1/3 for a home victory. England are priced at 5/2, while a draw stands at 22/1. The odds are correct at the time of writing and open to change.
Referee
New Zealand’s Ben O’Keeffe will officiate in what will be his 50th international match.
