England Eye Dominant Decade Over Resurgent Ireland

Guinness Women's Six Nations: Ireland v England

Venue: Virgin Media Park, Cork Date: Saturday, 12 April Kick-off: 16:45 BST

Coverage: Watch unrecorded connected BBC Two, iPlayer and online, perceive connected BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, unrecorded matter and video highlights connected BBC Sport website and app.

One triumph for a decade of dominance.

England look Ireland successful nan Women's Six Nations connected Saturday successful Cork, knowing triumph would complete a cleanable expanse spanning 10 years.

Since Ireland's constrictive triumph complete nan Red Roses successful 2015, nan spread successful professionalism and people betwixt nan sides has widened year-on-year.

The reality deed hardest successful past year's Six Nations erstwhile John Mitchell's broadside recorded an 11th successive triumph and their highest points triumph (88) complete Ireland.

Over nan past 3 title games against Six Nations leaders England, Ireland person scored 10 points and conceded 205.

What was erstwhile a pivotal crippled successful nan pursuit for nan title has go a one-sided affair.

However, 12 months is simply a agelong clip successful sport, and pursuing a daze win complete world champions New Zealand astatine WXV1 successful October and a 54-12 thrashing of Italy to grounds a first distant triumph successful nan Six Nations since 2021, Ireland invited Mitchell's broadside pinch renewed confidence.

A caller challenger has emerged to supply conscionable nan mentation nan Red Roses request successful their quest to triumph a legacy-defining World Cup later this year.

"Ireland's triumph complete New Zealand was a monolithic consequence for them," England hooker Lark Atkin-Davies told BBC Sport. "All of america were watching it and were successful a small spot of daze astatine really good they controlled that game.

"We thought Ireland are present to play. We want our games to beryllium really competitory and for women's rugby that is what group travel to watch, they travel for really adjacent games."

Mitchell has said astir his extremity to build "two teams" earlier nan World Cup successful August, while maintaining an unbeaten tally that now spans 22 games.

With 13 changes to his starting XV from information 1 to two, nan large mobility earlier information 3 was whether he would proceed pinch his regular first-teamers that helped hammer Wales successful Cardiff.

Only 3 changes person been made - 1 wounded enforced pursuing nan nonaccomplishment of Mackenzie Carson for nan remainder of nan tournament - and fixed nan mostly of nan broadside played cardinal roles successful past year's WXV1 Grand Slam triumphs, it indicates that Mitchell believes his champion are required to hit a resurgent Ireland.

Number 8 Alex Matthews returns from suspension to switch 22-year-old Maddie Feaunati, who scored 2 tries successful Cardiff and picked up subordinate of nan lucifer successful nan opening information win complete Italy successful York.

Feaunati drops to nan chair meaning location is nary abstraction for erstwhile skipper Marlie Packer successful nan matchday squad for nan 2nd crippled running, arsenic Sadia Kabeya retains her spot astatine open-side flanker, indicating nan fearsome level of title successful nan backmost row.

Matthews, 31, was portion of England's past World Cup triumph successful 2014 and has been a champion nether Mitchell, delivering a player-of-the-match capacity against France successful Bordeaux to unafraid nan Red Roses' 3rd successive Grand Slam, earlier playing a cardinal domiciled astatine WXV1 to gain a information for past year's World Rugby women's subordinate of nan year.

"Alex is highly focused connected her trade and ever wants to get better," said England onslaught coach Lou Meadows.

"Her expertise to usage her physicality but adhd different furniture of accomplishment connected apical of that truthful defences don't cognize what she is going to do, arsenic some sides of nan shot she knows really to create an impact, will mean she will travel successful perfectly flying."

Fly-half is different area that is hotly contested. In his biggest games truthful acold arsenic caput coach, Mitchell has chosen Holly Aitchison to thief create nan Red Roses' free-flowing moving game.

But he started this Six Nations pinch Helena Rowland astatine 10 and Aitchison astatine wrong centre earlier handing Saracens' Zoe Harrison her chance against Wales.

Harrison duly produced arguably her champion capacity since guiding England to nan World Cup last successful 2022 and has been rewarded pinch back-to-back starts.

The 26-year-old's superior tactical kicking crippled provides an other magnitude and Saturday offers Harrison different opportunity to show she is nan champion fly-half successful nan squad to present a complete performance.

England: Kildunne; Dow, Jones, Heard, Breach; Harrison, Hunt; Botterman, Atkin-Davies, Muir, Talling, Ward, Aldcroft (capt), Kabeya, Matthews.

Replacements: Cokayne, Clifford, Bern, Galligan, Feaunati, L Packer, Aitchison, Rowland.

Ireland: Flood; McGann, Dalton, Higgins, Costigan (capt); O'Brien, Lane; O'Dowd, Jones, Djougang; Tuite, Wall; Hogan, King, Wafer.

Replacements: Moloney, McCarthy, Haney, Campbell, Moore, Reilly, Fowles, Elmes Kinlan.

Referee: Referee: Aurelie Groizeleau (fra)

TMO: Andrew McMenemy (sco)