Ireland fall to England defeat in Twickenham thriller | HIGHLIGHTS

Marcus Smith received the ball right in front of the posts and nailed his kick to send England into a one point lead, and the Twickenham crowd into raptures.

Ireland suffered their first loss of the 2024 Guinness Men’s Six Nations on Saturday afternoon, as they fell to a 23-22 defeat to England at Twickenham.

Munster quartet Peter O’Mahony, Calvin Nash, Jack Crowley and Tadhg Beirne all played from the start, and Crowley got the visitors off the mark after just three minutes as he kicked a successful penalty.

However, the hosts would hit back just moments later when Ollie Lawrence finished off a flowing move to give his side a 5-3 lead.

Crowley continued his fine form off the tee as he kicked another penalty on the 20 minute mark, keeping Andy Farrell’s men in touch of the English, who had extended their lead with a penalty of their own.

The fly-half tagged on three more as nailed a long-range penalty to the delight of the travelling fans, and Ireland led for the first time all game, with half-time fast approaching.

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Ireland had to wait until the second half for their first try, but it came inside the first five minutes as James Lowe dove for touch in the corner following a slick passing move from the boys in green.

George Furbank blitzed through the Irish defence just minutes later, as the hosts got in for their second try of the afternoon, cutting the deficit to just four points.

England kept up the pressure with waves of relentless attacks, and Ben Earl bundled over to find his side’s third five pointer, as they regained the lead once more.

Ireland looked to have pipped the win with less than eight minutes on the clock, as Lowe dove for touch once more, clinching a two point advantage for Farrell’s team.

However, the drama came with the clock in the red as Marcus Smith received the ball right in front of the posts and nailed his kick to send England into a one point lead, and the Twickenham crowd into raptures.

Disappointment for the Irish, who were on the brink of sealing the title, but the Championship will now go down to the final day, with Ireland needing to beat Scotland at the Aviva Stadium to become back-to-back champions.