Ireland kick off Six Nations campaign with bonus-point win over England

Despite trailing at half-time, the hosts rallied to claim an important win.

England started strongly, with debutant Cadan Murley scoring in the ninth minute off a precise Henry Slade grubber kick.

Ireland responded through Jamison Gibson-Park, but Tadhg Beirne had a try ruled out for holding onto Maro Itoje's boot.

Marcus Smith's penalty extended England's lead, and they went into the break five points ahead.

Ireland roared back in the second half, as Bundee Aki powered over to level the match. Sam Prendergast, making his Six Nations debut, missed the conversion but later slotted a penalty to put Ireland ahead.

Beirne atoned for his earlier mistake with a crucial try before Dan Sheehan, returning from a knee injury, secured the bonus point.

England fought back late, with Tom Curry and Tommy Freeman crossing for consolation tries, but Steve Borthwick's side fell short once again, suffering their sixth defeat in seven matches.

Gibson-Park was named man of the match, orchestrating Ireland's attack brilliantly. James Lowe played a key role in Ireland's offensive moves, while Prendergast endured mixed fortunes, missing two conversions but delivering under pressure with a penalty.

England's back row of Ben Curry, Tom Curry, and Ben Earl showed promise, but the visitors lacked cohesion after the break.

Ireland, who have now won 26 of their past 30 home Six Nations games, will face Scotland next. England must regroup before taking on a resurgent France, who opened their campaign with a commanding win over Wales. 

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