Six Nations news: Maro Itoje set for 100th cap as England and Ireland look to bounce back at Twickenham

By Chris Collyer

British & Irish Lions captain Maro Itoje will run out for his 100th cap for England on Saturday at Twickenham, eager to prove a point against Ireland and right last Saturday’s wrongs.

England were unable to get across the line in Murrayfield in round two of the Six Nations as Scotland turned up the heat with a 31-20 victory following their own defeat in Rome in round one to a spirited and rejuvenated Italy.

Meanwhile in Dublin, the same spirited Italian side pushed Ireland closer than ever at the Aviva, narrowly missing out on a first win in the Irish capital.

Ireland showed some improvement following on from the very one-sided affair in Paris in round one, and captain Caelan Doris also has a point to prove.

So who takes the win at Twickenham?  

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Can Ireland win at Twickenham?

One of the hardest places for any team to get the win, Ireland have a patchy record at Twickenham with the most recent loss being two years ago; Andy Farrell’s hopes of a grand slam were shattered by a superb drop goal from Marcus Smith in the dying embers of the game.

Against Italy, however, Ireland started to show some quick ball and skilled set pieces that were familiar with the Ireland of old.

Lineout still remains stable and the referee discipline was again respectful. Ulster centre Stuart McCloskey had an outstanding game with two stunning offloads (one familiar with American football fans) as well as landing a big turnover just before half-time.

His teammate, Robert Balacoune, gratefully received the quarterback-style pass and charged over for his third-ever international try, which certainly will have given him reason to be hopeful of selection this Saturday.

Formidable Munster debutant Edwin Edogbo did his province proud by landing nine out of nine tackles in 10 minutes after coming off the bench in the final quarter and surely has a foot in the door for future international games.

Davidson takes charge and sets the standard

Hollie Davidson officiated the game and, in doing so, officiated her first-ever Men’s Six Nations match and did so exceptionally well.

Davidson isn’t a referee to constantly go for the whistle, so when she does blow up, you know she has a very good reason to.

As a result, this doesn’t affect the flow of the game, just like her United Rugby Championship games.

Personally, I hope to see her officiating at this level again very soon.

Despite the loss, the Italian captain, Michele Lamaro, made a point to sing Hollie’s praises during the post-match press conference, saying: “I want to emphasise that the referee, Hollie Davidson, has been outstanding.

“It’s obviously the first time ever for a woman to referee in the Men’s Six Nations and I want to congratulate her.”    

Farrell settles Ireland’s No.10 debate as Crowley gets the nod

So what about the No 10 situation? Farrell already made up his mind earlier today by opting to drop Sam Prendergast at fly-half for Jack Crowley.

Prendergast’s impressive skills in attack, kicking ability and overall game management are there to be seen; however, everyone has an off game, and at the age of 23, he can be forgiven for not being an immediate copy of Johnny Sexton at this stage.

Despite question marks over his defence, in his first season at Leinster, he helped them win the United Rugby Championship for the first time ever for his province and has been the first choice internationally for two years now.

Crowley also offers exceptional skills and talent at fly-half. The Munsterman plays a fast-paced attacking style of rugby, which ensures Munster are heavyweight contenders in the domestic league and has the ability to go off script when an opportunity arises.

This is most likely due to his credit in reading the game. This “wild card” style could be something that caught Farrell’s eye and helped him reclaim the number 10 shirt?

Can Farrell’s faith in Crowley silence the critics?

Farrell knows how lucky he is to have such exciting options at 10, and with his own son being the talisman fly-half for England rugby – Owen Farrell – Andy knows when to step in when needed to.

The Irish coach recently defended his two prized tens from the ever-noisy keyboard warriors who’ve recently taken their opinions too far.

“They’re young lads and good lads as well and we need to back them,” he said with conviction. “It can be tough for these kids.

“It takes a lot to break kids like that. I’ve seen it affect people. So the keyboard warriors need to cop on and try to help these kids.”

With Crowley restored to the No.10 shirt, Ireland can expect a very different contest at Twickenham, with an eager England determined to make Itoje’s 100th cap a day to remember.

With both sides fighting for a chance of winning the tournament, can Ireland’s improvements capitalise on England’s self-inflicted pressure of keeping their impressive run of home victories or will Steve Borthwick‘s men come out swinging, with a point to prove on Saturday?

READ MORE: Six Nations news: Sam Prendergast dropped by Ireland ahead of clash with England