02/21/26 10:38:00
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02/21 10:36 CST Ireland stuns England at Twickenham in a 42-21 rout and revives
Six Nations hopes
Ireland stuns England at Twickenham in a 42-21 rout and revives Six Nations
hopes
LONDON (AP) --- The rumors of Ireland's demise have been exaggerated.
Ireland revived its Six Nations title hopes and killed off England's after a
shocking 42-21 blowout win at Twickenham on Saturday.
The script was expected to go the other way. England had not lost at home since
autumn 2024, and a fiery retort after losing to Scotland at Murrayfield last
weekend was expected to celebrate captain Maro Itoje's 100th England cap.
But Ireland looked and played like the No. 1-ranked team from 2023; energetic,
confident, efficient and fearless. Having slipped to No. 5, the Irish beat a
team ranked higher than themselves for the first time since July 2024.
And it was historic: Ireland's highest score and biggest margin against England
at Twickenham with a bonus point from scoring five tries to three.
Ireland shot to 22-0, led 22-7 at halftime, scored straight after the break and
piled on. Jack Crowley booted seven from 10 for a personal 17 points in his
second Six Nations start in two tournaments.
The clash of British and Irish Lions --- 13 on Ireland's side and nine on
England's --- was a reminder of why Ireland dominated the successful squad in
Australia last year.
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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
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