England v Ireland Six Nations predictions and rugby betting tips

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Where to watch England v Ireland

England v Ireland will take place at Twickenham at 4.45pm on Saturday, March 9, live on ITV1 & RTE2

England v Ireland betting odds

To win the match
England 4-1
Ireland 1-5
Draw 33-1

Handicap
Ireland -12 Evens
England +12 11-10

Best bets for England v Ireland

Ireland to win by 11 to 20 points
2pts 9-4 bet365

Marcus Smith to score a try
1pt 11-2 bet365

England v Ireland teams

England: George Furbank; Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Tommy Freeman; George Ford, Alex Mitchell; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Dan Cole, Maro Itoje, George Martin, Ollie Chessum, Sam Underhill, Ben Earl.
Replacements:  Theo Dan, Joe Marler, Will Stuart, Chandler Cunningham-South, Alex Dombrandt, Danny Care, Marcus Smith, Elliot Daly. 

Ireland: Hugo Keenan; Calvin Nash, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, James Lowe; Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, Tadhg Beirne, Peter O'Mahony, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, Iain Henderson, Ryan Baird, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Ciarán Frawley.  

England v Ireland team news

England: Winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso makes his first start for England while fly-half Marcus Smith is fit enough to make the bench.

Ireland: Full-back Hugo Keenan returns from injury in the only change to the side.

England v Ireland predictions and betting tips

Ireland are dominating the Six Nations again this year, they have dominated rivals England over the last three years, and it is hard to see that changing at Twickenham on Saturday.

Three games into the tournament Ireland have a perfect points haul of 15 from a possible 15. They have covered the handicap every time, and have the best defence and attack having scored 15 tries and conceded just three for a total of 24 points against.

The quality of their attack tends to catch the eye, but the strength of their defence is just as crucial to their success. The structures put in place by head coach Andy Farrell are what underpin Ireland's success and in a clash as fervently anticipated as this we can expect that process will have been at the heart of Ireland's preparations.

If all has gone to plan for Ireland, it has been a different story for England who have struggled to get into gear, especially in attack. They were outscored by three tries to two in their opening victory over Italy, trailed for the first hour at home to Wales, and then were exposed by Scotland in round three.

Exeter winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso came off the bench in that game to score a late try and is rewarded with his first start, but it may take more than adding pace out wide if the combinations aren't there to create openings.

The withdrawal of Owen Farrell and injury to Marcus Smith more or less forced Steve Borthwick's hand in selecting the pragmatic George Ford at fly-half, but his efficient and effective kicking game doesn't work in tandem with the attacking resources at his disposal. It will take more to unlock this Ireland defence and the signs so far are that England don't have that.

One potential game-changer could be the introduction of Smith off the bench. Ford was replaced with 20 minutes to go against Scotland when England were 13 points down and Smith may well get called into action earlier in the second half if England are chasing the game. Smith's footwork and eye for a break can make things happen and he is also worth backing to score a try as he is never afraid to take on responsibility. His record of nine tries in 29 Tests is impressive for a fly-half - Ford has ten in 94.

However, even if Smith can take his chance it may be too little too late for England. Ireland's efficiency and ruthlessness have been all too evident but while they should cover a 12-point line, a runaway win looks unlikely. Ireland have won their last four against England by margins of 19, 13, 17 and 14 points, and backing another victory in that ballpark looks better value than a handicap bet at odds-on.

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