FOR A MAN who came to this rivalry relatively late in his career, James Lowe takes a lot of joy in beating England.
When the winger was first breaking into this Ireland team around late 2020-early 2021, he admitted the Six Nations hadn’t played much of a role in his rugby education back in New Zealand. Given the time difference, the Six Nations primarily served as something to watch following a night out.
All these years later, he’s one of the competition’s most compelling stars. Lowe was Ireland’s chief agitator and instigator in their 27-22 win over England, and the firestarter for an attack which had been repeatedly smothered in the tetchy early exchanges.
His performance was all the more impressive given we’re hardly seen Lowe since the November Tests, with the 32-year-old only returning from a calf injury with Leinster last weekend.
Three of Ireland’s four tries involved Lowe breaking free from English jerseys before serving up the score for a teammate. When he wasn’t testing the top speed of the defenders in his firing line, Lowe was grabbing them by the scruff of the neck during the smattering of scuffles which broke out.
Somewhat unusually for a winger, Lowe has that gift of being able to rub the opposition up the wrong way. With Peter O’Mahony drifting out of Ireland’s matchday squad, that bit of niggle in his game could become increasingly valuable for this team.
Tempers flare between Ireland’s James Lowe and Tommy Freeman of England. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
Ultimately, England were up to the fight but couldn’t last the distance.
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The visitors came to Dublin hounded by questions over the direction in which they are heading under Steve Borthwick. Having lost seven from 12 in 2024, defeat here – ahead of a home meeting with France next week – would really amplify the pressure on players and coach.
Yet as bad as 2024 was on paper, there were hints of progress. Their defeats were closely-fought and their best performance was one that ended Ireland’s Grand Slam dreams in London.
And so, predictably, England rumbled into this game with their sleeves up and their chests out. Marcus Smith darted around the pitch like a wasp in a kitchen. One moment he was stepping defenders and spraying passes wide, the next sitting back to send the ball to the skies. The new-look back row combination of Ben Earl and the Curry twins added athleticism to the England pack and made an impact at the breakdown. Maro Itoje leered over everything with typically menacing intent.
Cadan Murley, the Harlequins debutant on the wing, took it all in and pounced when he was needed, racing in to collect Henry Slade’s smart grubber and score the game’s first try.
The score had its origins in a miscued Sam Prendergast kick, Ireland’s young out-half sending a spiral down the throat of Smith. Ollie Lawrence burst a door open and then England did the damage out wide.
It wasn’t the first kick Prendergast misjudged and it wouldn’t be the last. This was a Six Nations debut that asked plenty of questions of the 21-year-old. By the time he was replaced by Jack Crowley just before the hour, Prendergast had spun a handful of lovely passes but also used his boot in the wrong way and at the wrong times.
Encouragingly, none of that seemed to knock his confidence. As Ireland looked to claw back England’s five-point lead early in the first half, Prendergast took possession near the 22 but shoved the ball into touch. Two minutes later he had his hands on the ball again, and from a more central position the Leinster player hit Bundee Aki with a sharp skip pass, with the Connacht centre finishing brilliantly under pressure in the corner. Prendergast followed that moment up with his second missed conversion of the game, but then nailed a nerveless penalty that nudged his team 13-10 clear, and finally left Ireland in control.
Lowe was central to three of Ireland's four tries. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
That moment felt a long time coming. Much of Ireland’s start had been achingly similar to those frustrating November games at this stadium. The home side would play smart rugby to get into the right positions, only to fluff their lines. Ireland’s first six visits to the England 22 came and went without a single point landing on the scoreboard.
Three of the worst offences came when England had Smith in the sin bin. On 25 minutes Ireland’s momentum was killed as referee Ben O’Keeffe awarded a penalty for crossing. Another visit saw Aki knock-on as Ireland moved into shape around the posts. Ronán Kelleher and Hugo Keenan were the next offenders, the pair crossing their lines as the hooker’s pass clipped out of his teammate’s fingertips.
Yet Ireland were feeling their way into things and the opportunites were there. It took a moment of bullish quality from Lowe to give Ireland some impetus.
With 35 on the clock Garry Ringrose’s superb pass found Lowe out wide and inside his own half. Assessing his options, Lowe took on Alex Mitchell and left the scrum-half stumbling to the ground as the opportunity opened up for Ireland. Lowe drew in the next defender before shifting a pass inside to Jamison Gibson-Park, who added his own flash of clever footwork to race over the line.
A Smith penalty left England five up at the break but their effort faded after the interval as Ireland’s bench turbo-charged their strong second-half showing.
Entering the final 20 Ireland led by three thanks to Aki’s try and Prendergast’s penalty. That cushion saw the defending Six Nations champions open up, playing as though they had just remembered they were the defending champions.
Gibson-Park showed sweet hands to send Lowe charging clear again, the winger running a smart line to break into space. For a moment he thought about going all the way, but made the right call in hitting Tadhg Beirne on his left. Try number three for Ireland, and a killer blow for Borthwick’s team.
Lowe wanted more. When Murley was under pressure to recover a kick over the tryline, he joined Keenan to wrap up the England rookie and send him into touch. Ireland’s advantage was enough that the home crowd could really enjoy that one.
Lowe was involved again as Ireland hit for the bonus point. Hugging the sideline, he gathered Sheehan’s looped pass and brushed off Tommy Freeman before returning the ball to Sheehan, who muscled through two defenders to score.
Sheehan’s impact was huge, as was that of Crowley and Jack Conan. All three made strong arguments to start against Scotland next weekend.
Those conversations will make for some lively debate in the build-up for Murrayfield. Lowe will be one of the lucky few who doesn’t have to look over his shoulder.
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James Lowe revels in role as Ireland's chief agitator and instigator
FOR A MAN who came to this rivalry relatively late in his career, James Lowe takes a lot of joy in beating England.
When the winger was first breaking into this Ireland team around late 2020-early 2021, he admitted the Six Nations hadn’t played much of a role in his rugby education back in New Zealand. Given the time difference, the Six Nations primarily served as something to watch following a night out.
All these years later, he’s one of the competition’s most compelling stars. Lowe was Ireland’s chief agitator and instigator in their 27-22 win over England, and the firestarter for an attack which had been repeatedly smothered in the tetchy early exchanges.
His performance was all the more impressive given we’re hardly seen Lowe since the November Tests, with the 32-year-old only returning from a calf injury with Leinster last weekend.
Three of Ireland’s four tries involved Lowe breaking free from English jerseys before serving up the score for a teammate. When he wasn’t testing the top speed of the defenders in his firing line, Lowe was grabbing them by the scruff of the neck during the smattering of scuffles which broke out.
Somewhat unusually for a winger, Lowe has that gift of being able to rub the opposition up the wrong way. With Peter O’Mahony drifting out of Ireland’s matchday squad, that bit of niggle in his game could become increasingly valuable for this team.
Ultimately, England were up to the fight but couldn’t last the distance.
The visitors came to Dublin hounded by questions over the direction in which they are heading under Steve Borthwick. Having lost seven from 12 in 2024, defeat here – ahead of a home meeting with France next week – would really amplify the pressure on players and coach.
Yet as bad as 2024 was on paper, there were hints of progress. Their defeats were closely-fought and their best performance was one that ended Ireland’s Grand Slam dreams in London.
And so, predictably, England rumbled into this game with their sleeves up and their chests out. Marcus Smith darted around the pitch like a wasp in a kitchen. One moment he was stepping defenders and spraying passes wide, the next sitting back to send the ball to the skies. The new-look back row combination of Ben Earl and the Curry twins added athleticism to the England pack and made an impact at the breakdown. Maro Itoje leered over everything with typically menacing intent.
Cadan Murley, the Harlequins debutant on the wing, took it all in and pounced when he was needed, racing in to collect Henry Slade’s smart grubber and score the game’s first try.
The score had its origins in a miscued Sam Prendergast kick, Ireland’s young out-half sending a spiral down the throat of Smith. Ollie Lawrence burst a door open and then England did the damage out wide.
It wasn’t the first kick Prendergast misjudged and it wouldn’t be the last. This was a Six Nations debut that asked plenty of questions of the 21-year-old. By the time he was replaced by Jack Crowley just before the hour, Prendergast had spun a handful of lovely passes but also used his boot in the wrong way and at the wrong times.
Encouragingly, none of that seemed to knock his confidence. As Ireland looked to claw back England’s five-point lead early in the first half, Prendergast took possession near the 22 but shoved the ball into touch. Two minutes later he had his hands on the ball again, and from a more central position the Leinster player hit Bundee Aki with a sharp skip pass, with the Connacht centre finishing brilliantly under pressure in the corner. Prendergast followed that moment up with his second missed conversion of the game, but then nailed a nerveless penalty that nudged his team 13-10 clear, and finally left Ireland in control.
That moment felt a long time coming. Much of Ireland’s start had been achingly similar to those frustrating November games at this stadium. The home side would play smart rugby to get into the right positions, only to fluff their lines. Ireland’s first six visits to the England 22 came and went without a single point landing on the scoreboard.
Three of the worst offences came when England had Smith in the sin bin. On 25 minutes Ireland’s momentum was killed as referee Ben O’Keeffe awarded a penalty for crossing. Another visit saw Aki knock-on as Ireland moved into shape around the posts. Ronán Kelleher and Hugo Keenan were the next offenders, the pair crossing their lines as the hooker’s pass clipped out of his teammate’s fingertips.
Yet Ireland were feeling their way into things and the opportunites were there. It took a moment of bullish quality from Lowe to give Ireland some impetus.
With 35 on the clock Garry Ringrose’s superb pass found Lowe out wide and inside his own half. Assessing his options, Lowe took on Alex Mitchell and left the scrum-half stumbling to the ground as the opportunity opened up for Ireland. Lowe drew in the next defender before shifting a pass inside to Jamison Gibson-Park, who added his own flash of clever footwork to race over the line.
A Smith penalty left England five up at the break but their effort faded after the interval as Ireland’s bench turbo-charged their strong second-half showing.
Entering the final 20 Ireland led by three thanks to Aki’s try and Prendergast’s penalty. That cushion saw the defending Six Nations champions open up, playing as though they had just remembered they were the defending champions.
Gibson-Park showed sweet hands to send Lowe charging clear again, the winger running a smart line to break into space. For a moment he thought about going all the way, but made the right call in hitting Tadhg Beirne on his left. Try number three for Ireland, and a killer blow for Borthwick’s team.
Lowe wanted more. When Murley was under pressure to recover a kick over the tryline, he joined Keenan to wrap up the England rookie and send him into touch. Ireland’s advantage was enough that the home crowd could really enjoy that one.
Lowe was involved again as Ireland hit for the bonus point. Hugging the sideline, he gathered Sheehan’s looped pass and brushed off Tommy Freeman before returning the ball to Sheehan, who muscled through two defenders to score.
Sheehan’s impact was huge, as was that of Crowley and Jack Conan. All three made strong arguments to start against Scotland next weekend.
Those conversations will make for some lively debate in the build-up for Murrayfield. Lowe will be one of the lucky few who doesn’t have to look over his shoulder.
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