The 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations is finally here and the tournament opens in fitting style on 11th April with two blockbuster fixtures on Saturday afternoon.
First, France play Italy in Grenoble in the day’s earlier kick-off, before England and Ireland take centre stage at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham at 14:25.
The clash, which has already shattered records for ticket sales, promises to attract record-breaking crowds exceeding 67,000, though those unable to travel can follow all of the action live on BBC or RTÉ.
England’s Red Roses, who were winners of the Six Nations in 2025, are many observers’ favourites to retain their crown, though Ireland will be determined to put an early dent in their rivals’ hopes.
With Ireland continuing to improve under the instruction of former Bath and Leicester scrum-half Scott Bemand, this is a real chance for the Green Wave to test themselves against the world’s number one-ranked outfit.
Ahead of the action, we’ve previewed Saturday’s game at Twickenham, with information on squad announcements, injury news, forecasted line-ups and form, along with expert predictions and prices from Tonybet’s comprehensive rugby union markets.
England team preview
England are once again the team to beat at the Women’s Six Nations, and the Red Roses carry a hugely impressive 34-game unbeaten surge into this year’s tournament, while wielding the kind of squad depth that draws envious looks from opponents.
Indeed, head coach John Mitchell, who recently penned a new long-term contract with England, will have more than a couple of selection headaches ahead of kick-off on Saturday.
One certain starter is Megan Jones, however, who steps up to skipper the team, having held the vice captaincy during England’s World Cup triumph in 2025.
Jones’s leadership, relentless defensive work rate and line-breaking runs have already earned her a nomination for a World Player of the Year gong, and she will be tasked with driving the English around the field at Twickenham.
The Red Roses are serial winners and have won seven successive Six Nations titles since 2018, with all but one of those delivered as Grand Slams. However, never satisfied, England and Mitchell continue to build for the long term.
To that end, a notable seven uncapped players have been included in their wider squad for the Women’s Six Nations, including prop Annabel Meta (Trailfinders), lock Jodie Verghese (Saracens), back-rowers Christiana Balogun (Bristol Bears) and Demelza Short (Bristol Bears), as well as number 8 Haineala Lutui (Loughborough Lightning), centre Sarah Parry (Harlequins) and wing Millie David (Bristol Bears).
Mitchell said that he was “excited by the energy the younger players will bring to the squad”, though his hand was forced in many ways with the more experienced Abbie Ward, Rosie Galligan and Lark Atkin-Davies all unavailable for varying reasons. Abby Dow’s retirement after the World Cup has also left a vacuum that needs filling.
Still, this doesn’t mean that there should be a drop in quality. England’s scrum, lineout and breakdown work have been ruthless in recent years, and they will target early dominance on Saturday to prevent Ireland from building any momentum.
Home advantage is also there to harness for the Red Roses. England return to Twickenham for the first time since their World Cup Final triumph over Canada (33-13) in September last year, so expect them to make full use of the home-crowd energy.
Ireland team preview
There is no shortage of optimism in the Irish camp ahead of the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations. Popular head coach Scott Bemand has just inked a contract extension and he brings a squad packed with youthful promise to England.
Erin King leads the side as captain, with the rest of the roster providing a nicely balanced blend of experience and youth. Indeed, the average age of the panel is just 24.38, with 16 players and nine uncapped inclusions who earned their chance in the Celtic Challenge.
Speaking about his selection choices, Bemand laid out his vision, saying: “We’ve got a strong core of experienced players… alongside some emerging talent that have come through the pathways.”
The aim here is for the younger players to “really start to push into the group”, according to Bemand, to create genuine competition for places.
In terms of the uncapped squad members, prop Sophie Barrett, who dominated the Celtic Challenge with her technical scrummaging, looks primed to make an instant impact, while fullback Niamh Gallagher and others such as Alana McInerney, Caitríona Finn and Robyn O’Connor all have the talent to shine.
Ireland’s veterans will still provide the team’s spine and structure, however. Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury) anchors the hooker role, while forwards Aoife Wafer (Harlequins), Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs) and Sam Monaghan (Gloucester-Hartpury/IQ Rugby) bring physicality and leadership.
In the backs, Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster) continues to develop as a clever playmaker, Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht) offers X-factor on the wing, and Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC/Leinster) and Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC/Leinster) provide guile.
Ireland finished third in both the 2024 and 2025 editions of the Six Nations and showed positive signs during their surge to the World Cup quarter-finals last year before their 18-13 loss to France.
In 2026, the mission is to close the gap even further, and Saturday’s Twickenham trip is the ultimate early test of the Green Wave’s progress under Bemand.
H2H record
Unfortunately (from an Irish perspective), results from recent head-to-heads heavily favour England. The Red Roses, who are chasing down an eighth Six Nations win on the spin, hold a commanding record against Ireland in recent campaigns.
The last three meetings in the competition tell quite a story, with each encounter producing a meaty English victory. In 2025, England walloped Ireland 49-5 in Cork, and they roughed them up even more the year before (88-10).
Twelve months before that, in 2023, England dished out another beating, this time keeping Ireland off the scoresheet completely in a 48-0 rout.
Earlier meetings between the neighbouring nations followed a similar trend and included 69-0 and 27-0 wins for England in 2022 and 2020 respectively.
Still, last year’s performance from Ireland in Cork (49-5) had flickers of positivity and periods of genuine competitiveness despite the final wide margin of defeat. Hopefully, that gives the Green Wave something to build on this weekend.
Players to watch
England
Megan Jones – The heartbeat. Her leadership qualities and ability to read play should set the tone for the Red Roses in attack and defence. Jones is an expert at carrying into contact and she knows how to keep things organised around the ruck.
Zoe Harrison – Hugely experienced with 65 caps, Harrison was England’s top scorer at the World Cup last year (42 points), and her accurate kicking should make her a potent weapon again at the Six Nations. Harrison finished the 2025 edition with 47 points.
Millie David – If chosen to start, David could light up the Allianz Arena on her debut. A proper speedster on the wing, David plays rugby with the handbrake off and the Bristol Bears flier has the pace to be a real nuisance for the Red Roses.
Ireland
Erin King – Leading by example, her composure in clutch moments will be vital if Ireland are to stay in the fight at Twickenham. King picked up an injury in the Six Nations last year while playing against England and subsequently missed the World Cup, so she will be itching to make up for lost time.
Dannah O’Brien – O’Brien has matured into a reliable fly-half who can control territory and deliver 80-minute performances. She was Ireland’s top scorer (24) at the Six Nations and World Cup last year (27 points)
Linda Djougang – The powerful tighthead prop scored four tries at last year’s Six Nations (no other Irish player scored more). The 29-year-old should be a pillar of physicality for Ireland again in 2026.
Our expert predictions
From every angle, England look like overwhelming favourites ahead of Saturday’s 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations opener, and really, Ireland’s chief target will be a competitive display that keeps the score down at Twickenham.
The world and currently Six Nations champions have home advantage in the form of a sold-out Allianz Stadium to go along with their elite-level squad and enviable depth, and anything other than a resounding English win this weekend would be seen as a serious misstep.
In terms of betting, punters should expect England to control the tempo and build a sizable lead. To reiterate, Ireland’s aim will be to avoid a confidence-draining drubbing.
If they can rein in England somewhat, a scoreline in the region of 45-15 could be realistic, though the value here will be in the Red Roses’ scoring markets, where the over 35.5 and even over 40.5+ points lines should offer opportunities for involvement.
Irish fans should keep a close eye on the rugby union betting markets at Tonybet for the latest odds and specials across the match-winner, handicap and try-scorer lines for Saturday’s skirmish between England and Ireland.
Whether you’re travelling over or having a flutter from afar, you’ll find comprehensive coverage of the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations with Tonybet.
