England side to face Ireland in 2025 Six Nations opener announced

28 Jan 2025 | 3 min | 12

England side to face Ireland in 2025 Six Nations opener announced

England men’s head coach Steve Borthwick has named his team to play Ireland on Saturday 1st February in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

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Tournament fixtures

Maro Itoje will captain England for the first time, whilst Harlequin Cadan Murley is set to make his Test debut on the left wing. Elsewhere, Tom Curry (blindside) and Ben (openside) will occupy the flanks for the first time together at Test level.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge of facing the tournament favourites,” said Borthwick. "We know it’ll be a tough contest against a team that’s very familiar with each other. We’ll need to work tirelessly and maintain our discipline from the first whistle to the last.

“England versus Ireland in Dublin is a huge occasion, and we’ll be ready to face it head-on.”

Squad to face Ireland