England maintained their Grand Slam collision course with France through a 48-0 victory over Ireland in Cork but a scrappy performance took the shine off the afternoon.
Simon Middleton’s side had banked the bonus point in a first half that produced tries for Sarah Beckett, Tatyana Heard, Ellie Kildunne, Marlie Packer and Morwena Talling, but they lost their way after the interval.
Ireland were emphatically beaten by Wales, France and Italy in the previous rounds but they made life difficult for England until falling away in the final 10 minutes at Musgrave Park.
The hosts’ set-piece was overwhelmed, yet they became the first team in the 2023 TikTok Six Nations to prevent the Red Roses from breaching the 50-point mark.
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