Summary

  • England maintain unbeaten run with five-try victory

  • Captain Sarah Hunter scores first try from fourth-minute scrum

  • Prolific wings Abby Dow and Jess Breach also score in first half

  • Vicky Fleetwood grabs bonus-point fourth try before half-time

  • Sarah McKenna extended England's lead in second half

  • England bidding for back-to-back Grand Slams

  • Match at sold-out Castle Park in Doncaster

  1. Postpublished at 17 mins

    England 12-0 Ireland

    Emily Scarratt had trouble getting that ball to stand up for the conversion, never mind stick it over the posts from a narrow angle. Old-school finger-on-ball stuff from a team-mate to keep it upright, but Scarratt can't find the target.

  2. try

    Try - England 12-0 Irelandpublished at 14 mins

    Abby Dow (14 mins)

    And just like that, England burst into life... that's one way to dampen Ireland hopes after a spell of pressure.

    England thunder into the Ireland half with a maul that wasn't so much rolling, but eating up grass at full pelt.

    The hosts flick it right to Emily Scarratt and she breaks the line, before it's quickly swept into Abby Dow's hands and the winger can scamper into space to touch down out wide.

    Abby DowImage source, Getty Images
  3. Postpublished at 13 mins

    England 7-0 Ireland

    England go through a few drills just to keep warm, and then into a huddle for a team talk - they'll be wondering why Ireland have had 73% possession so far and what they can do to change that.

    Lindsay Peat makes way on a stretcher. Let's hope she's OK.

  4. 'Peat flying the flag for the veterans'published at 13:02 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2020

    England 7-0 Ireland

    Rocky Clark
    Former England World Cup winner on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

    Just seen Lindsay Peat on a really good carry just get caught awkwardly and let a little yelp out. This is her 30th cap today - she's one of the old girls on the team, 39, so she's flying the flag for the veterans of the game. I feel like she's been around forever, she's a great strong carrier, a good scrummager and a really nice girl.

    Let's hope she has a speedy recovery.

  5. Postpublished at 13 mins

    England 7-0 Ireland

    Bit of a worry for Ireland with Lindsay Peat needing treatment on field.

  6. Postpublished at 13 mins

    England 7-0 Ireland

    Ireland have kept England pinned in their own half since the early try, but the hosts turn the ball over on their own 22m line and earn a penalty - a chance to relieve that pressure.

  7. Postpublished at 12:58 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2020

    England 7-0 Ireland

    Becky Grey
    BBC Sport at Castle Park

    You would love Ireland to convert this pressure into a try. But they are without talented try-scoring wing Beibhinn Parsons, who will miss the rest of the Six Nations to focus on her school studies. Would things be different if she were here?

  8. 'England's defence has been phenomenal'published at 12:58 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2020

    England 7-0 Ireland

    Rocky Clark
    Former England World Cup winner on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

    England's defence has been phenomenal. You can see the line speed, the double tackles, the aggression going in. Ireland are having to put extra numbers into the breakdown to secure it.

    England are forcing Ireland to pass under pressure and a lot of those passes are going behind players, and they're not able to get much momentum, it's all very lateral.

  9. Postpublished at 10 mins

    England 7-0 Ireland

    Thwack. That's some hit scrum-half Leanne Riley one her opposite number, but there was an England knock-on earlier at the ruck and it's Ireland who get the put in.

    The visitors swing it right but England wrap up Lauren Delany on the touchline and bundle her into touch.

  10. 'You can see what Ireland are up to'published at 12:54 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2020

    England 7-0 Ireland

    Rocky Clark
    Former England World Cup winner on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

    Ireland haven't been getting much change, but you can see what they're up to, trying to use the forward pods and trying to play down the short side a fair amount.

  11. Postpublished at 8 mins

    England 7-0 Ireland

    Better from the visitors, and this time the kick finds touch five metres out.

    England execute the line-out well under pressure and will look to run from their own line.

  12. Postpublished at 7 mins

    England 7-0 Ireland

    Ireland enjoy some ball in hand for the first time in the opposition half and England's Vicky Fleetwood is penalised for scooping up after the ruck had formed.

    Claire Keohane looks to kick for touch but the ball swirls around and drops back into England arms.

  13. 'Phenomenal scrum'published at 12:50 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2020

    England 7-0 Ireland

    Rocky Clark
    Former England World Cup winner on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

    Phenomenal scrum there by England. I'd be really disappointed if I was the Ireland front five, the back row all stood up watching so it's easy to plop over the line for Sarah Hunter.

  14. Postpublished at 12:50 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2020

    England 7-0 Ireland

    Becky Grey
    BBC Sport at Castle Park

    That does not bode well for Ireland. England look completely dominant up front, there was no stopping them.

  15. try

    Converted try - England 7-0 Irelandpublished at 3 mins

    Sarah Hunter, con Emily Scarratt (3 mins)

    It's the skipper!

    England are just far too powerful at the scrum, driving Ireland back beyond their own line and Sarah Hunter can just dab down from the back of the pack for an easy early score.

    Emily Scarratt dots on the extras, not so simple in blustery conditions.

    Sarah Hunter scoresImage source, Getty Images
  16. Postpublished at 3 mins

    England 0-0 Ireland

    England are over, but it's held up. A resilient Ireland defence there, digging in to get bodies under the ball. The visitors already know they're in a game...

  17. Postpublished at 1 mins

    England 0-0 Ireland

    Good, quick ball from England early on and Lark Davies breaks the line.

    The hosts keep it moving left to Jess Breach in space, but she's felled just short.

  18. Kick-offpublished at 0 mins

    England 0-0 Ireland

    Right, here we go.

    Which one of these sides will still have a 100% record in 80 minutes' time?

  19. Postpublished at 12:43 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2020

    England v Ireland (12:45 GMT)

    These are the anthems throw all your hands up...

    And a first glance of just how windy it is in Doncaster this afternoon. Flags flying - across people's faces...

  20. The teams...published at 12:43 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2020

    England v Ireland (12:45 GMT)

    England: Sarah McKenna; Abby Dow, Emily Scarratt, Amber Reed, Jess Breach; Katy Daly-McLean, Leanne Riley; Vickii Cornborough, Lark Davies, Sarah Bern, Poppy Cleall, Zoe Aldcroft, Sarah Beckett, Vicky Fleetwood, Sarah Hunter.

    Replacements: Amy Cokayne, Detysha Harper, Shaunagh Brown, Harriet Millar-Mills, Amelia Harper, Natasha Hunt, Zoe Harrison, Emily Scott.

    Ireland: Eimear Considine; Lauren Delany, Sene Naoupu, Katie Fitzhenry, Aoife Doyle; Claire Keohane, Kathryn Dane; Lindsay Peat, Cliodhna Moloney, Linda Djougang, Aoife McDermott, Judy Bobbett, Ciara Griffin, Edel McMahon, Anna Caplice.

    Replacements: Victoria Dabanovich O’Mahony, Laura Feely, Leah Lyons, Ciara Cooney, Dorothy Wall, Nicole Cronin, Larissa Muldoon, Hannah Tyrrell.