The rumours of Ireland’s decline were well wide of the mark.
Ireland reignited their Six Nations title charge — and extinguished England’s — with a stunning 42–21 demolition at Twickenham on Saturday, delivering a performance that echoed their dominance of 2023 rather than recent doubts.
All the pre-match narrative pointed the other way. England had not lost at home since autumn 2024, were seeking a response to defeat at Murrayfield, and were primed to celebrate Maro Itoje earning his 100th Test cap. Instead, Twickenham bore witness to Ireland’s greatest-ever win on English soil.
Ireland were energetic, ruthless and fearless from the opening exchanges. England were flat, error-prone and second best in every key moment. The visitors stormed into a 22–0 lead, held a 22–7 advantage at halftime, and never allowed the contest to breathe.
It was historic on multiple fronts: Ireland’s biggest winning margin and highest score at Twickenham, five tries securing a bonus point, and England conceding the second-most points at home in their history.
“It was a very enjoyable game to be a part of,” Ireland captain Caelan Doris told ITV. “The fast start definitely helped, but there was a ferociousness about us. There were mistakes, but we were always on the front foot.”
Jack Crowley, starting just his second Six Nations match across two tournaments, was superb. The fly-half kicked seven from ten for a personal haul of 17 points, guiding Ireland with composure and intent.
The contest also underlined why Ireland dominated last year’s British & Irish Lions tour of Australia. Thirteen Lions starters wore green, compared to nine for England, and the gulf in cohesion was unmistakable.
Two successive defeats now leave England out of title contention. Trips to Italy and a final-round clash with defending champions France offer little more than pride. Ireland, meanwhile, return home to face Wales and Scotland, still hoping that unbeaten France stumble.
“It’s brutal professional sport,” England prop Ellis Genge told the BBC. “If you get five percent wrong, it’s gone. We probably believed the hype too much.”
Belief Never Wavered
Ireland’s resurgence was emphatic after a sobering opening-night loss to France and an unconvincing win over Italy. Head coach Andy Farrell trusted experience, restoring Jamison Gibson-Park, Tadhg Beirne, Tadhg Furlong, Josh van der Flier and Crowley to the starting XV — a decision that paid immediate dividends.
“It must be nice to be Irish today,” Farrell said. “I didn’t really care if we won or lost — I wanted us to learn and get better. I’m unbelievably proud of the lads.”
England errors opened the door early, and Ireland burst through. Gibson-Park’s quick thinking caught the hosts napping for the opening try, before Robert Baloucoune and Stuart McCloskey carved through a scrambling defence. A yellow card for Freddie Steward compounded England’s misery as Ireland raced clear.
A brief England rally just before halftime offered false hope. Ireland snuffed it out immediately after the break, Dan Sheehan crossing while England were reduced to 14 again. Even when England struck back, Ireland’s hunger never faded — McCloskey chasing down Marcus Smith in the 73rd minute summed up their edge.
Crowley’s boot kept the scoreboard ticking, Jamie Osborne struck on his return from the sin-bin, and by the time Sam Underhill grabbed a late consolation, the outcome was long decided.
As Ireland completed a lap of honour, Twickenham reflected on a stark reality: this was Ireland’s sixth Six Nations win at England’s home since 2000 — more than any other rival.
The rumours, it turns out, were never worth believing.
English