England v Ireland LIVE: Result and reaction from Six Nations as Marcus Smith denies Irish grand slam with last-gasp drop goal

Marcus Smith is back from injury and on the bench for England this afternoon, with coach Kevin Sinfield revealing his return has been a huge boon for the squad.

The Harlequins player missed the first three rounds of the tournament, also because of calf damage, but will likely come off the bench to replace George Ford at some point in the Twickenham clash.

“To have Marcus available having not had him available throughout the Six Nations is a big boost for everybody,” explained Sinfield earlier this week.

“Not only with what he brings on the field, but off the field as well. He has got some bounce about him, a big smile and he loves being out on the training field. He has had a big impact this week.

“He comes in and is himself all the time so we missed him in those first few weeks. I’ve loved working with him and he’s an incredible talent. He can play, that boy.”

The 2024 Six Nations will see the “TMO bunker” system during the championship for the first time.

The introduction follows a number of World Rugby trials during the course of last year and the use of the process at the World Cup.

The “bunker” system is designed to improve accuracy of decision-making and avoid significant disruptions to the flow of games.

So how does the “bunker” system work? Here’s everything you need to know.

Sam Underhill is savouring his England revival having feared his international career might already be over.

Underhill is poised to win his 34th cap in today’s Six Nations clash with Ireland at Twickenham after returning to favour under Steve Borthwick – a comeback he views as a personal triumph.

Still only 27, the big-hitting Bath flanker missed 20 successive Tests from the second match of the 2022 tour to Australia because of a combination of concussion and selection.

But a sliding doors moment arrived when Jack Willis sustained a neck injury in last autumn’s World Cup and Underhill was propelled straight into the back row for the bronze final against Argentina.

A defensive masterclass consisting of 24 tackles resulted in the man of the match award and now that he has played four consecutive Tests, he grants himself a moment of recognition.

Peter O’Mahony believes Ireland’s current team is the best he has ever played in.

Andy Farrell’s men will run out at Twickenham as overwhelming favourites and have the chance to retain the championship title with a round to spare.

Captain O’Mahony has lined up alongside the likes of Brian O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell and Johnny Sexton during his Test career, but feels the class of 2024 is arguably the greatest Irish side of that period.

“Look, I’ve been lucky to play with lots of good players and teams,” said the Munster flanker, who will win his 104th cap in south-west London. “If I had to nail the colours to the mast I’d have to say yes.

“It’s hard to compare because rugby has moved on and the game is different, but in a short answer, I think it is. I think the quality of player, it’s a really, really healthy, good, thought-provoking, enjoyable environment, but obviously the quality of performance and results speaks for itself.”

Ireland boss Andy Farrell insists under-fire England remain capable of representing one of the ultimate tests in world rugby ahead of a tantalising Twickenham showdown.

“I’ve no doubt that England would have loved to have put the best performance out against Scotland and come away with the victory there,” said Farrell. “But I’ve no doubt now that over the last two weeks that concentrates their mind to have another chance to have a crack at us.

“You expect them to be at their best and if they’re at their best you expect them to be as hard as anyone in world rugby to beat.

“I don’t get involved with the criticism at all. I don’t look at it. I look at the individuals the way that they’re playing, the coaching staff that they got, the plan that they’ve got, a fantastic side that is going to be preparing to give it everything they’ve got at the weekend, so that makes them unbelievably dangerous.

“We just prepare for them to be at their best and if that’s the case it’s going to be one hell of a battle.”

The first game of the day has just got underway in Rome as Italy host Scotland. The Scots need to win to keep their own championship hopes alive (at least until the game at Twickenham later), while the Azzurri are looking to build on that dramatic draw with France last time out.

Follow live coverage of that one with our blog

Round two of the Six Nations featured a historic moment as Scotland hooker George Turner became the first player in the championship’s history to be removed after his smart mouthguard detected a collision which could have caused a concussion.

Turner was removed from the pitch during the first half of Scotland’s defeat to France for a head injury assessment after his mouthguard alerted medical staff of a significant head acceleration event after a tackle made on Charles Ollivon. The front rower passed his assessment and returned to the field.

The mouthguards, also known as gumshields, have been incorporated into the existing HIA protocols as another tool designed to support the drive towards better player welfare with a particular focus on brain injuries.

Wales will host England on the final weekend of the 2025 Six Nations with the fixtures for next year’s championship confirmed.

The two rivals will meet at the Principality Stadium in the middle fixture of “Super Saturday”, with Italy hosting Ireland and France taking on Scotland on the potential deciding day of the tournament.

France will kick off the championship against Wales on Friday 31 January in Paris, with England facing a daunting trip to Dublin and Scotland hosting Italy.

Rory Best and Jamie George hit it off on the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour, with the two hookers escaping the trip to New Zealand as friends - something that the former Ireland captain says is mightily rare.

“It’s quite unusual for hookers to come away from a tour still friendly!” Best told The Independent. “There’s always something, because it is such a combative position. But I took a lot from him on that tour in how to lead people off the pitch.

“He’s a cracking guy and I think he is going to be so important for England for the next few years. They have a lot of good young players but you need this core of people who have been there and done it and are still playing at the top level. Like Maro Itoje, like Jamie, like George Ford, even Dan Cole and Joe Marler – you need that core of players to buy into what Steve is about and Jamie is going to pivotal to that.”

Steve Borthwick has urged Immanuel Feyi-Waboso to take inspiration from Irish counterpart James Lowe and get his hands on the ball to make a success of his first England start at Twickenham on Saturday.

Young wing Feyi-Waboso has been promoted to the starting side after a try-scoring cameo off the bench against Scotland in round three.

The 21-year-old has been a breakthrough star of the Premiership season, impressing for Exeter both with his ability to slip through contact and lead the hard outside blitz England are now favouring defensively.

His score at Murrayfield came roaming off his right wing, arriving at the line on the scrum half’s shoulder as he searched for work to create a try-scoring chance.

Borthwick would like to see more of that from Feyi-Waboso on his first start for his country, citing Ireland’s Lowe — one of the world’s best wings — as an example to follow.