IRFU Live Blog: England v Ireland
Ireland and England face off in the third round of the RBS 6 Nations this afternoon (kick-off 4pm). You can follow all the action direct from Twickenham via our live blog.
RBS 6 Nations Preview: England v Ireland
Today’s clash between England and Ireland is the 118th time these two sides have met in the Championship. England have the upper hand with 64 wins compared to Ireland’s 46 victories, while there have been seven draws.
Last year’s meeting between England and Ireland finished in a 12-6 victory for the away side at the Aviva Stadium.
If Ireland beat England this afternoon it will be their first Triple Crown since 2009 and take their total up to 11. This will see them overtake Scotland on the roll of honour, but Wales (20) and England (23) lead the way in terms of overall Triple Crowns.
England have lost just two of their last 14 Six Nations games at Twickenham (v Ireland 20-16 in 2010 and v Wales 19-12 in 2012). However, Ireland have won three of their last five Six Nations matches against England at the London venue.
If Ireland can stop England scoring a try, it will be the first time a home nation has won a Triple Crown without conceding a try since England won the Grand Slam in 2003
Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has made no changes to the starting line-up which beat Wales last time out. Leinster back rower Jordi Murphy will make his Test debut if he comes off the bench.
Brian O’Driscoll will equal Australian scrum half George Gregan’s world record of 139 Test appearances when he takes to the pitch. It will be his 131st cap for his country, in addition to his eight British & Irish Lions appearances.
O’Driscoll will also be making his 63rd appearance in the Championship, joining his former Ireland team-mate Ronan O’Gara at the top of the list for all-time Championship appearances. The centre has started all 62 games he has played in the tournament so far.
We will have live text commentary direct from London so reach for your phone, plug in your laptop or turn on the PC and enjoy a flavour of the game live on IrishRugby.ie.
There will be full live text and score updates throughout the coverage, with our pre-match build-up getting underway at 3.30pm.
The game is being broadcast live on RTÉ Two and BBC One, with RTÉ Radio 1 providing live radio commentary. Details of the global broadcasts are available here.
You can feel part of the action on IrishRugby.ie with our live matchday coverage – Ireland’s third match of the 2014 Championship kicks off at 4pm.
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