Ireland got off to a five-point start to its bid for an unprecedented third straight outright Six Nations rugby title, overpowering England in a second-half recovery to rack up a 27-22 victory in Dublin on Saturday. Trailing 10-5 at halftime after constantly coughing up scoring opportunities, the Irish were more accurate — and rampant for a while — after halftime and ran in tries through Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne and Dan Sheehan against an increasingly ragged England to secure an attacking bonus point. England started twins for the first time in its men’s team and flankers Tom and Ben Curry contributed to an impressive scrambling defensive effort in the first half, during which the visitors had an early converted try for debutant Cadan Murley and a 40th-minute penalty from Marcus Smith.
Ireland opens bid for third straight Six Nations title with 27-22 win over England