London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

Ireland beat 14-man England to win Grand Slam

Ireland beat 14-man England to win Grand Slam

Ireland won their fourth Grand Slam as they wore down 14-man England in a tense Six Nations finale in Dublin.

Two early Owen Farrell penalties put England ahead before Ireland hit back with a well-worked Dan Sheehan try.

England's hopes of an upset were dashed when Freddie Steward was sent off just before half-time.

Robbie Henshaw and Rob Herring tries either side of Sheehan's second of the game ensured Ireland's first Grand Slam in five years, and first won in Dublin.

England, much improved from their humiliating defeat by France at Twickenham last week, scored a deserved second-half try through Jamie George, but were unable to pull off a major upset and ruin Ireland's big day.

Despite being tested by a resilient English side, Ireland - as they have so often done under Andy Farrell - found a way to win as they gave talismanic captain Johnny Sexton the perfect send-off in his final Six Nations match, even though his day ended early because of injury.

The full-time whistle was greeted with Irish celebrations at a jubilant Aviva Stadium as the home side delivered on their immense promise, having entered the competition as the world's number one side.


Irish nerves show in first half


With the prospect of being confirmed as champions before kick-off ended by France's 41-28 win over Wales, the tension inside the Aviva Stadium was palpable from the start as Ireland plotted the dream finale to a memorable campaign.

But while few gave England much chance of spoiling the Irish party following their record-breaking hammering by France last week, it was the visitors who settled quicker.

Their reward was two penalties, both scored by Farrell, the second coming after Alex Dombrandt stopped Johnny Sexton from scoring with a crucial tackle at the other end.

Clearly nervous, Ireland were made to wait until the 18th minute for their first score. But it was a big one as Sexton thumped a penalty between the sticks to surpass Ronan O'Gara as the competition's record scorer.

While Sexton's record-breaking penalty settled a few nerves, Sheehan's score produced a massive roar from the Aviva crowd, the hooker crossing after a well-worked set-piece that saw Josh van der Flier breaking from a line-out maul.

With Sheehan having given Ireland a much-needed shot in the arm, things went from bad to worse for England on the cusp of half-time when Steward was sent off after colliding with Hugo Keenan.

After an Irish pass went forwards, Keenan stooped to pick up the loose ball. The on-rushing Steward turned sideways at the last moment and Keenan's head collided with the England full-back's arm, with referee Jaco Peyper ruling that the contact merited a red card.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, England refused to lie down in the second half, and moved to within a point when Farrell booted his third penalty between the posts.

But Ireland managed to regain control and exerted enough pressure to prise open holes in the English defence, with Henshaw able to slip through before Sheehan's second score seemingly put the hosts out of England's reach.

Ireland break English resistance to seal famous win

Henshaw's try alleviated tension as the centre touched down to move Ireland 17-9 clear


To their credit, England continued to plug away and scored their only try when George crashed over, but after the visitors' Jack Willis was sin-binned, replacement Irish hooker Herring stretched to score his first Six Nations try and complete a famous triumph for Ireland.

While England head coach Steve Borthwick can take heart that his side delivered on their promise to show more fight than they did against France, a fourth-place finish is a stark reminder of the task facing Eddie Jones' successor.

In contrast, Ireland will now approach the World Cup later this year with relish as they look to progress past the quarter-finals of rugby's quadrennial showpiece for the first time.

That is all to come. For now, Ireland can celebrate retaking their place at the top of the Six Nations.


Ireland's Grand Slam glory


*  Ireland have now won four Grand Slams with triumphs coming in 1948, 2009, 2018 and 2023

*  They have won five Six Nations titles with their other wins in 2009, 2014, 2015 and 2018

*  Andy Farrell's side set a new national record of eight straight Six Nations wins, surpassing the seven-game streak they set between 2004 and 2005

*  Ireland are on a national record run of 14 wins at home

Analysis - what they said


Former England captain Matt Dawson on BBC Radio 5 Live: "I'm proud of the way England fronted up but they gave away far too many penalties.

"Their ill-discipline kept giving easy ball to Ireland. A good performance by England but the focus should be on this tremendous Irish side.

"I just cannot see anyone beating the Irish. They are head and shoulders ahead.

"This Ireland team have what it takes, not just to win the Six Nations, but the World Cup as well."

Former Ireland number eight Jamie Heaslip on Radio 5 Live: "It's a great day for the Irish. They are a special group with a different mindset to the past. They are comfortable with being the number one side in the world."


Ireland's route to the Grand Slam


*  4 February: Wales 10-34 Ireland

*  11 February: Ireland 32-19 France

*  25 February: Italy 20-34 Ireland

*  12 March: Scotland 7-22 Ireland

*  18 March: Ireland 29-16 England

Line-ups


Ireland: Keenan; Hansen, Henshaw, Aki, Lowe; Sexton (capt), Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong; Baird, Ryan; O'Mahony, van der Flier, Doris.

Replacements: Herring, Healy, O'Toole, Treadwell, Conan, Murray, R Byrne, O'Brien.

England: Steward; Watson, Slade, Tuilagi, Arundell; Farrell (c), Van Poortvliet; Genge, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Ribbans, Ludlam, Willis, Dombrandt.

Replacements: Walker, M Vunipola, Cole, Isiekwe, B Curry, Mitchell, Smith, Marchant.


Match officials


Referee: Jaco Peyper (SA)

Touch judges: Ben O'Keeffe (NZ) and Pierre Brousset (FRA)

TMO: Marius Jonker (SA)

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×