By Charlie Elliott
With England heading to Dublin to face holders Ireland for the first round of the 2025 Six Nations, there are bound to be new memories created for fans.
It is a pivotal game between two nations who have been going at it since 1875.
Over the years, so much has happened between these two and here are the best moments from an England perspective from the Millenium Trophy rivals.
2003 Six Nations Grand Slam: Ireland 6-42 England
The greatest year in England’s rugby history started off with a bang when they won the Grand Slam at the 2003 Six Nations.
Going into the final match at Lansdowne Road in Dublin, both Ireland and England had won all four of their games, meaning it was all to play for.
It was the first time in the era of six teams that this was the case.
England dominated, winning 42-6 thanks to tries from legends such as Lawrence Dallaglio and 18 points from Jonny Wilkinson’s boot.
Just how easily the visitors ended up winning the game was a sign of things to come, with the World Cup success in the summer of the same year.
2003- Mary McAleese v Martin Johnson
Some say that the 2003 game was won before the whistle was blown after Martin Johnson refused to get out of the way of Irish president Mary McAleese.
It was seen as a statement that England was not going to be moved around or dictated where they would go.
The visitors stood to the left of the red carpet during the pre-match lineup for the national anthems, despite this being Ireland’s side.
Johnson stood his ground and forced the hosts to stand to the left of them, which was away from the red carpet, meaning that McAleese needed to get her feet dirty to shake hands with her compatriots.
Some have deemed it a non-issue, but others saw it as Johnson standing his ground and winning a huge mental battle ahead of a huge game.
2019 Six Nations: Ireland 20-32 England
This game marked the first home defeat in the Six Nations for Ireland in six years after Eddie Jones’ side ran riot and got a huge victory in Dublin.
It was a defensively stout performance which limited the hosts to only a few openings, and when England had the chances they well and truly took them.
Clinical is the best word to describe how the game was for the visitors.
Everything went right for them, with the tactical kicking superb, the defence outstanding and the attacking output effective.
It marked a dawn for the England side, who went on to have a good couple of years under Jones before it all went pear-shaped in 2022.
2016 Six Nations Grand Slam: England 21-10 Ireland
It wasn’t an absolute classic at Twickenham in 2016, but this win put Eddie Jones’ side in pole position going into the final two games, which led to them winning the Grand Slam.
Even having to play with 14 men for some of the game, the sheer grit and determination shown make it a memorable game to fans who yearn for that in the current squad.
Mike Brown got the deciding try to finish the game off and some heroic defending late on gave England a healthy win.
2007 Six Nations: England’s national anthem
The game between these two is always full of tension given the proximity geographically and the historic tensions between them, but no one wants to see ugly scenes off the pitch.
While big battles on the field are part and parcel of the game, fans being courteous with one another is needed to keep the game clean.
One of these instances where fans were at their absolute best was at Croke Park in 2007, where the home fans observed the England national anthem with perfect silence.
Often booed by various sets of fans in all kinds of sports, this moment was poignant in restoring some unity between the nearby nations.
While it wasn’t a great game on the pitch for England, losing 43-13 , the national anthem will be remembered fondly by their fans for years to come.
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