England Red Roses Open Six Nations Defence With Dominant 33-12 Victory Over Ireland

England captain Megan Jones kept it simple after the final whistle: winning teams find ways. Her England side proved that statement correct in every dimension, delivering a ruthless 33-12 victory over Ireland at Allianz Stadium to open their Women's Six Nations campaign.

The attendance figure alone made history. A crowd of 77,120 packed the stadium to watch the Red Roses in action, shattering the previous record for a Women's Six Nations match by nearly 20,000. The previous mark of 58,498 was set during the 2023 Grand Slam decider against France. This was a new era, witnessed in real time.

It was also England's first outing since becoming world champions last September, and the ring rust that might have lingered never materialised. Eight changes from that World Cup final starting XV, with Megan Jones wearing the captain's armband in place of the pregnant Zoe Stratford, brought fresh energy without any drop in quality.

The tries came from everywhere. Hooker Amy Cokayne, who also crossed in the World Cup final, finished off a rampaging maul to open the scoring. Prop Sarah Bern then powered over from close range twice before half-time, showcasing the dominance of England's forward platform. When John Mitchell's men get rolling close to the tryline, they are simply very difficult to stop.

After the break, wing Jess Breach pounced on a kick through to dot down for the bonus-point try. Ellie Kildunne, who had earlier fumbled what would have been a spectacular solo try under the posts, bounced back with a confident finish. Ireland's Anna McGann and captain Erin King scored late consolation tries, but the outcome was never in genuine doubt.

One concern emerged from the victory: lock Morwenna Talling was carried off on a stretcher in the second half. England's second-row resources have been tested already this campaign, with World Cup winners Stratford, Abbie Ward, and Rosie Galligan all currently pregnant.

England now travel to Murrayfield to face Scotland next Saturday, with their sights set on an eighth consecutive Six Nations title and a fifth consecutive Grand Slam. On this evidence, no one in the competition looks close enough to stop them.