Six Nations preview: Can Ireland win three-in-a-row?

Ireland will be aiming to make history as they kick off their Six Nations campaign this weekend when they face England on Saturday.

Without head coach Andy Farrell, who is managing the British and Irish Lions this summer, Simon Easterby takes charge for the campaign.

In 2024, Ireland defended their title but missed out on a Grand Slam after a last-second defeat to England in round four.

Following a 1-1 series in South Africa in July, a November series raised a number of questions.

Defeat to New Zealand was filled with errors and a high penalty count—something rarely associated with Ireland—while the attack lacked its usual fluency for the remainder of the games.

Ireland will be keen to show that was a blip and not part of a wider issue.

Sam Prendergast starts ahead of Jack Crowley at fly-half, with the Leinster man making his Six Nations debut.

James Lowe returns from injury to start, while Garry Ringrose is preferred to Robbie Henshaw. Joe McCarthy is ruled out through injury, with James Ryan and Tadhg Beirne forming the second row.

Tadhg Furlong is also sidelined, while Caelan Doris captains the side.

While Ireland have lost three of their last eight games, they will still be confident of claiming their third straight Six Nations title.

With key players back from injury and their two biggest challengers—France and England—at home, Ireland will be confident that, if they play at their best, the title is there to be won.

Ireland's opponents on Saturday, England, lost seven games in 2024, although many of those defeats were by the narrowest of margins against top opposition.

Expect England to put pressure on Ireland when Easterby’s side have the ball, particularly after Ireland’s forwards struggled to make ground at