Can England Stop Ireland from Winning Another Six Nations Title?

Can England Stop Ireland from Winning Another Six Nations Title?

Two games, two wins.
The prognosis looks equally good for England and Ireland in the 2024 Six Nations, but a deeper dive reveals that it’s all semantics – there’s been a massive gulf in class between the performances of the two sides.
Ireland’s points difference reads +57 after two rounds of action, while England’s is just +5 – and that’s after they were nearly humbled by minnows Italy.
Even so, Steve Borthwick’s men are currently the most likely of the Six Nations combatants to claim Ireland’s throne as champions – but could they actually go on and do exactly that?
A Class Apart
The Six Nations betting market is interesting because it accepts that Ireland are the best team in the competition, but doesn’t completely overlook the fact that England will have a home advantage when the sides meet on March 9.
The rugby betting odds make Ireland a warm 1/6 favourite to successfully defend their title, but England’s fine record at Twickenham confirms why there’s been some interest in the World Cup semi-finalists at 17/2.
That being said, there’s an evident divide in where these two nations find themselves at the moment. Irish rugby is in rude health, having won the Grand Slam at the 2023 Six Nations. They followed that up with a run to the last eight at the World Cup, where they nearly downed finalists New Zealand. With a settled starting 15, things are rosy for Andy Farrell.


As for England, it’s all change for Borthwick. As many as six of his World Cup squad have since retired from international duty, while a handful are no longer eligible for selection having decided to play their club rugby overseas.
Add into the mix a smattering of injuries and you can see why Borthwick has been left scratching his head.
Even so, this new-look England side started out with a 27-24 victory in Rome – a scoreline that was a little closer than it might have been, with George Ford in excellent form with the boot.
The second-round game with Wales was an almighty war of attrition, with the Welsh leading at half-time – Ford again got England out of jail with a late penalty.
Two games, two wins. But there’s an almighty chasm between Ireland and England right now.
French Foray
Another thing going against England’s bid for the Six Nations is that their final game of the competition is a trip to France.
Although Les Bleus won’t be playing any of their home games at the commanding Stade de France – which is currently undergoing renovation work ahead of the Summer Olympics, nearly 60,000 fans will still cram into Parc Olympique Lyonnais for the match.


They will create a cauldron-like atmosphere, which won’t exactly aid England’s hopes of winning a Six Nations game in the country for the first time since 2016. And’s that the only victory for the Red Rose in France in the past decade.
To state that the cards are stacked against Borthwick and England in this Six Nations campaign would be a major understatement. But as they showed at the World Cup, they won’t give up the fight until the very final whistle is blown.



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