Ireland vs England
This match should be a cracker of a game although both sides can’t win the title there is much to play for. CJ Stander has made a shock announcement that he will retire after this match and this has added extra spice to an already mouthwatering clash. Ireland and England come into this game after morale boosting victories in their last match. The performance of Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray will go a long way in deciding the outcome of this match. The highlight for me will be the battle between the No.8s, CJ Stander and Billy Vunipola. There will be plenty of emotion from the Irish in order to give Stander a winning send off and this could pave the way for an Irish victory. The performance of Irish winger James Lowe was again under the spotlight when his defensive frailties were exposed against the Scots. There is no doubt that England will look to attack Lowe but maybe the Irish management can be provocative and look at replacing him with Jacob Stockdale.
TIP: The bookies have England as favourites for this match because of their victory over the French but I dont read too much into that result as the French had just recovered from their Covid issues. Ireland’s victory over a strong and fit Scotland is more relevant to me therefore I am going for an Irish victory. The class of Sexton and the return of Peter O’Mahony from suspension will tilt the close match the Irish way. An Irish victory offers great value for punters at Betway 2.42. Worldsportsbetting is offering 2.40 on an Irish win while Sunbet has them at 2.30.
HEAD TO HEAD STATS
Ireland vs England
- The last 5 matches have seen just a single Irish victory.
- In the last 10 games the home team has won on 8 occasions.
- Ireland last beat England in 2018.
Latest results for both teams
Ireland beat Scotland 27-24 in their last match while England also won their match against France 23-20.
PREDICTION
In recent years England certainly have held the wood over England winning 4 of the last 5 but the Irish will do anything that will give CJ Stander the send-off he deserves. This is a dead rubber in terms of the overall picture but the rivalry these two have there is always pride and bragging rights on the line. I predict that this closely fought battle will be won by Ireland by more than 5 points.
- Probable Starting XVs
Ireland
15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Jonathan Sexton (c), 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 CJ Stander, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Iain Henderson, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Dave Kilcoyne
England
15 Max Malins, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Mark Wilson, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Mako Vunipola
Odds for this bet
The Irish win looks very tempting to punters and these are the best odds on an Irish win.
Sunbet 2.25
Betway 2.42
Worldsportsbetting 2.40
Odds comparison
An Irish win is priced as follows:
Sunbet 2.25
Betway 2.42
Worldsportsbetting 2.40
Predictions and Odds in details
The intensity of this match promises to be like a World Cup final and the strength of both these teams is their forward packs. I would say they are fairly evenly matched in the forward battle but the difference is in the halfback pairings where Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray will have the edge over George Ford and Ben Young. England will also be missing their midfield maestro Colin Slade while Ireland has brought in the powerful Bundee Aki in the 12 jersey. He has a good record against England and I expect that form to continue. The Irish have changed their team and made wise selections and this is the main reason I predict the men in green to win. The Irish win looks very tempting to punters and these are the best odds on an Irish win. Betway at 2.42 is the best odds followed by Worldsportsbetting at 2.40.Sunbet is next best at 2.25
Sports crazy fan that follows all major sport but the game with the oval ball is my real passion. Was an age level rugby coach and a huge supporter of the Springboks and diehard Liverpool man. I’m an experienced punter and sports writer whose predictions/tips are sure to stir up the emotions. I love the occasional wager on the underdog.
