England secure 48-0 victory against Ireland despite scrappy performance from home team

England maintained their Grand Slam collision course with France through a 48-0 victory over Ireland in Cork but a scrappy performance took the shine off the afternoon.

Simon Middleton’s side had banked the bonus point in a first half that produced tries for Sarah Beckett, Tatyana Heard, Ellie Kildunne, Marlie Packer and Morwena Talling, but they lost their way after the interval.

The hosts’ set-piece was overwhelmed, yet they became the first team in the 2023 TikTok Six Nations to prevent the Red Roses from breaching the 50-point mark.

It took until the 71st minute to break the second-half stalemate when Amber Reed burrowed over from close range as pre-match fears of a 100-point mauling failed to materialise.

Number eight Alex Matthews added two late tries as a build-up of pressure in the final 10 minutes took its toll on the home defence.

For all the shortcomings evident in the penultimate round, England still made it four maximum five-point hauls as they secured a 23rd successive win the tournament.

Only France – who play Wales in Grenoble on Sunday – can stop the World Cup runners-up from clinching a fifth consecutive Six Nations title.

The victory came at a cost, however, with captain Packer and prop Hannah Botterman limping off through injury in the first half.