"Andy Farrell watching on" – 5 Things You Missed: Ireland 27-22 England

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The opening round of the 2025 Men’s Guinness Six Nations is in the books, with Ireland and England bringing a close to the inaugural weekend of the tournament. After an exhaustive battle that ended 27-22 to Ireland, the battle lines have been drawn to establish an initial hierarchy throughout European rugby’s six elite sides.

IRELAND 27-22 ENGLAND: THE ON-FIELD ACTION

A stand out name on the England starting XV was debutante Cadan Murley, and it took the Harlequin wing just nine minutes to score his first Test match try. Henry Slade stubbed through a grubber kick for Murley to dive on to score, before Marcus Smith slotted the conversion for an early seven point lead.

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A couple of disallowed tries built both sets of fans into a frustrated first half frenzy, with Ireland hooker Ronan Kelleher getting his close range try chalked off for an offence at the preluding ruck. Maro Itoje then cancelled out England’s second try, as he knocked the ball on in contact, much to the chargrin of Smith – who had executed a neat offload for the try. Ireland got on the score-board through Jamison Gibson-Park, who supported James Lowe’s barnstorming break for a 36th minute score.

The first half concluded with Slade being nailed off the ball by Bundee Aki, as the Exeter Chiefs man checked for cracked ribs after getting off the deck. Smith slotted the penalty on the stroke of half-time, to stretch England to a five point lead (10-5), following Sam Prendergast’s earlier missed conversion. Ireland ignited the second half scoring with three consecutive scores, starting through a brilliant Bundee finish. The Connacht man skipped over Smith’s tackle attempt, before he powered through Alex Mitchell and Tommy Freeman for a score in the far corner.

Ireland rallied on as Tadhg Beirne and Dan Sheehan then crossed over, with James Lowe at the heart of each attack from the Emerald Islanders. England would secure a losing bonus point with a defiant fight back, yet despite the tries from Tom Curry and Tommy Freeman, Ireland had ran out of sight of the visitors. It’s a seventh loss in nine matches for England head coach Steve Borthwick, yet positive sparks were present, in a hard fought battle against the reigning Six Nations champions.

5 THINGS YOU MISSED – IRELAND 27 – 22 ENGLAND

1. “What’s in your head?” – Ireland continue to belt their adopted theme through the streets of Dublin

As you walked the streets of Dublin in the lead up to the match, you would have heard the somber chords of a certain song that has continued to be associated with the Irish national side. A couple of acoustic street buskers along Lansdowne Road, rang out the tune of ‘Zombie’ by the Cranberries. The iconic 1994 hit continues to resonate with the as Aviva faithful, as the unofficial anthem of the men in green.

The fabled hit from the Limerick alternative rock band has long been a tune steeped in Irish history, yet the song really caught fire with the Ireland team back at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Andy Farrell’s side began to use the song as their post-match victory tune, with the pool stage triumph over South Africa garnering some serious sing-along celebrations, that would forever keep Dolores’ vocals in the hearts and minds of their fans.

2. Kick off delayed in Dublin, as atmosphere hits a fever pitch

Ireland are steadily setting the standard for pre-match pomp, with an immense ensemble whipping the crowd into a frenzy ahead of kick off. Any half-asleep fans in attendance were blasted wide awake with a sudden explosion of green, as four cannons erupted behind each post in a deafening blast. The fireworks then lit up the Dublin sky, as the stadium announcer listed off each Ireland name to a resounding ovation.

The Army No.1 Band then performed the instrumental for the national anthems, with Irish singer Paul Byron giving it an absolute belter for each of the three pre-match songs. The singer the kept hold of the mic despite the ever encroaching kick off time, and led the capacity crowd in a resounding rendition of the Fields of Athenry. Byron’s cry of “one more time” kicked off another chorus, whilst Marcus Smith stood eagerly on the centre line, growing increasingly impatient to get the match underway. The unexpected encore cause the match to run slightly behind schedule, but no one in the vocal sea of green seemed to mind.

3. Match program mistake and announcer error, with confusion around England back row Tom Willis

For those who picked up a match day program for Ireland v England, you would have spotted a typo for England’s highly rated back row Tom Willis. The Saracens man was incorrectly listed as ‘Tom Wills’, which would have handed his brother Jack an excellent brand deal with a Devon based clothing line. Tom Willis was also named with an asterisk next to his name, which indicated that England’s replacement forward was set to make his debut off the bench.

However, Willis had in fact made his debut for England back in 2023, in a Rugby World Cup warm-up Test match away to Wales. Willis was amongst the contingency of players that also included Tom Pearson, Joe Cokanasiga, Jamie Blamire and Guy Porter, who were then cut from Steve Borthwick’s squad that would make the trip to France. Whilst this match was not Willis’ England debut, the stadium announcer echoed this around the Aviva, with the back row given extra commendation for his Test match ‘debut’.

Willis entered the fray at the 56th minute mark, and thankfully his name was correctly pronounced around the loudspeakers. Interestingly, Willis was brought in as a straight swap for Ben Earl in the number eight jersey, with Steve Borthwick deciding against playing the two at the same time as if they were on Saracens duties. There was plenty of expectation that Earl would slot over to the flank in wake of one of the Curry bothers, yet no such change took place as the Saracens swapped out at the back of the pack.

4. Disallowed Drama – TMO on the double in Dublin with first half tries chalked off

There is no denying that Dublin is an expensive city at the best of times, as the nine euro pints of Guinness in Temple Bar would promptly burn through any wallet. The TMO for the match was certainly out to earn his wage, with the referee calling upon his assistance for two crucial first half decisions. First up was a disallowed try for Ireland hooker Ronan Kelleher, who had muscled his way over the English try-line from close quarters.

The front rower had even heard his name ring around the Aviva Stadium, as the PA announcer was only delighted to confirm a try that would narrow down the deficit for the home side. However, match referee Ben O’Keefe called his TMO Glenn Newman into action, to retrospectively chalk off the decision and annoy anyone in attendance that wore the famous emerald green of Ireland. England would then have their own try taken away, with the consistent officiating applauded by the Irish fans. Saracens lock Maro Itoje would cancel out a possible second try for England, as the captain knocked the ball forward in the build up to a breakaway try.

5. “I’m such a fool for you” – Cranberries song perfectly accompanies shot of Andy Farrell with big crowd reaction

If this was a coordinated plan from the camera and sound operators, then this was immaculate. A break in the play was caused as both Ireland and England’s medical staff had to treat some injured players, with the Aviva Stadium sound crew choosing an opportune time for a singalong. A Cranberries classic, ‘Linger’ was pumped out through the speaker system, with some opportune lyrics lining up with a roar of a reception for Andy Farrell.

The British & Irish Lions head coach has taken some time away from the Ireland set-up, and was shown on the big screens to be in attendance for this clash in Dublin. The lyrics to the Cranberries hit “I’m such a fool for you” accompanied the shot of Farrell, as the Ireland fans cheered in adulation of their regular head coach.

A bonus cheer of note followed shortly after, as Simon Easterby switched up his halfbacks with the introduction of Jack Crowley for Sam Prendergast. Despite the Aviva Stadium also being a regular home for Leinster’s Prendergast, the Ireland fans had plenty of support for Munster’s Crowley, who took the match on by the scruff of the neck with an excellent display from the boot.

Also, another excellent little easter egg from the Aviva, was the annoucement of Mack Hansen returning from his blood injury. When the Connacht man made his return to the pitch in the way of the Robbie Henshaw’s cameo, the stadium announcer called for the “return of the Mack”, much to the delight of any Mark Morrison fans in attendance.

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