Women’s Six Nations 2023: England set to demolish Ireland whose off-pitch battles mount in Six Nations fourth round

Ireland facing bigger battles than those on the pitch as their Six Nations story is set to see another huge defeat
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It’s the penultimate weekend of the Women’s Six Nations and while the top team looks set for another Grand Slam year, there is still much to play for in the middle fields with Ireland and Scotland desperately searching for their first win.

Ireland’s defeat in Italy means they have lost their first three Women’s Six Nations matches for the first time since 2007. Their defeats come after The Telegraph published a report into how The Irish Rugby Football Union has been likened to an “old boys club” due to its alarming sexism towards its women’s team.

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So, while England will continue their play for yet another Grand Slam year, they will come up against a side still fighting to be seen, heard and appreciated by their own Union.

Here is all you need to know ahead of the fourth round of Women’s Six Nations fixtures…

Ireland vs England

England will travel to Ireland for the first of the fourth round fixtures on Saturday 22 April 2023. The match kicks off at 2.15pm BST at Musgrave Park and will be available to watch on both BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

It has not been the prettiest of tournaments so far for the Irish and this weekend is not likely to be any relief for them. The 2022 encounter between these two sides saw England demolish Ireland 69-0 and given the Red Roses have won their matches by 51, 63 and 56 points respectively while Ireland have lost by 26, 50 and 17 points respectively, Saturday does not bode well for the girls in green. Go to our article on Women’s Six Nations squads to find out who will play for Ireland and England.

England’s Abby Dow was one of nine try scorers against WalesEngland’s Abby Dow was one of nine try scorers against Wales
England’s Abby Dow was one of nine try scorers against Wales

Scotland vs Italy

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Scotland will host Italy on Saturday 22 April 2023 at the Dam Health Stadium with kick-off set for 4.45pm. BBC iPlayer will be streaming the match and those in Scotland can tune in to the action on BBC Scotland.

Italy were able to secure their first win of the tournament when they beat Ireland at home last weekend. After pushing France much further than Les Bleues would have liked, Les Azzures then suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Red Roses before fighting back against Ireland.

Despite the home advantage, Italy will have the edge over the Scottish on Saturday but this is set to be one of the closest fixtures between two teams who have been struggling against the more professional set-ups of England, France and now Wales. Go to our article on Women’s Six Nations squads to find out who will play for Scotland and Italy.

France vs Wales

Wales will travel to the Stade des Alpes for Sunday 23 April 2023 to face the French. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 3.15pm and will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer as well as on BBC Wales for those living in Wales.

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Wales were brutally crushed back down to Earth following two weekends of beautiful highs. Following wins over Ireland and Scotland, the Welsh looked prepared to face the Red Roses but, despite their new-found form, it was not enough when facing the World Cup finalists.

Facing France straight after such a humiliating blow is not an easy task, and one which Wales will definitely struggle with, but the scores could read much closer than last year’s scoreline of 5-33. Go to our article on Women’s Six Nations squads to find out who will play for France and Wales

What are the scores so far?

Round 1:

  • Wales 31-5 Ireland
  • England 58-7 Scotland
  • Italy 12-22 France

Round 2:

  • Ireland 3-53 France
  • Scotland 22-34 Wales
  • England 6-5 Italy

Round 3:

  • Wales 3-59 England
  • Italy 24-7 Ireland
  • France 55-0 Scotland

Leaderboard:

  1. England - 15
  2. France - 14
  3. Wales - 10
  4. Italy - 4
  5. Ireland - 0
  6. Scotland - 0

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