England vs Ireland Betting Tips - England to cover against Ireland in Six Nations

Ralph Staniforth

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Last updated: Sat 21 Feb 2026 08:50

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Ralph Staniforth 21 Feb 2026

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England has won 12 of their last 13 matches; recently lost to Scotland.
Ireland struggling post-2023 Rugby World Cup, form challenged.
Matchup features strategic lineup changes; England aims to cover -10.5 handicap.

Expired

England to bounce back (Getty Images)

England have won 12 of their last 13 and after losing to Scotland last weekend, I expect them to bounce back against Ireland on home soil. Hosts to cover 10.5.

Kery Stats - England 12 wins from 13
Ireland Recent Dominance
England Looking for Big Response
Ireland Struggling to Find Form
England vs Ireland News
England vs Ireland Teams & Squads

Kery Stats - England 12 wins from 13

England have won 12 of their last 13 matches.
England won their last match against Ireland on home soil.
Ireland have lost 3 of their last 7 matches.
Ireland have won 5 of their last 6 matches against England.

Ireland Recent Dominance

England beat Ireland when they last played at Twickenham in 2024, however, Ireland have won five of their last six matches against England.

England Looking for Big Response

England are the form side in world rugby at the moment, but Scotland brought them crashing back down-to-earth last weekend. After winning 12 on the bounce, England came up short at Murrayfield last Saturday, losing 31-20.

That result does not take away from how good England have been over the last 12 months and at home, they have been excellent. In the opening round of the 2026 Six Nations, England beat Wales 48-7 at home.

While the English have a poor record against the Irish in recent years, they did win in 2024 when they last met at Twickenham. The form tables have turned since then as well, so England will be confident of getting the result.

Ireland Struggling to Find Form

Ireland were at the summit of world rugby for much of the last five years but post the 2023 Rugby World Cup, some big players retired and they have yet to adequately fill those boots.

Currently, Ireland looks a shell of the side they were 18 months ago, particularly at the scrum where they are regularly dominated. In round one of the Six Nations, Ireland were comfortably beaten 36-14 by France in Paris.

Ireland needed a swift comeback last weekend to lay fears of their form to rest. However, it only worsened at home against Italy where, despite winning 20-13, Ireland were in real danger of losing the game and perhaps should have on the balance of the game.

England vs Ireland News

Tom Curry and Henry Pollock have come off the bench to start this game on the side of the scrum while Tom Roebuck is also cut for Tommy Freeman in the back division.

Andy Farrell has eventually pulled the plug on Sam Prendergast at flyhalf with Jack Crowley moving off the bench for this match.

England vs Ireland Teams & Squads

England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Henry Arundell, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 Joe Heyes, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 Ollie Chessum, 6 Tom Curry, 7 Ben Earl, 8 Henry Pollock

Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Trevor Davison, 19 Alex Coles, 20 Guy Pepper, 21 Sam Underhill, Jack Van Poortvliet, 23 Marcus Smith

Ireland: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 1 Jeremy Loughman, 2 Dan Sheehan, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 4 Joe McCarthy, 5 James Ryan, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 7 Josh Van Der Flier, 8 Caelan Doris

Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Tom O'Toole, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Nick Timoney, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Tommy O'Brien

Verdict

England v Ireland

I am leaning on England to cover the -10.5 handicap against Ireland at Twickenham on Sunday.

England -10.5

Handicap

@10/11 - 5 Units

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