Six Nations: England shock Ireland with impressive opening win unduelling

England took the lead just two minutes in with a try by Jonny May and sealed the win with a diving score off an interception by Henry Slade five minutes before the final whistle.

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A try by John Cooney in the 79th minute was too little too late for the Irish -- who have not overturned an England halftime lead in a Five or Six Nations game since 1983, according to data providers Opta.



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Slade provided two tries for England, while Owen Farrell notched three conversions and two penalties.

'I really enjoyed it today,' Slade said to ITV Sport after the match. 'We had two weeks to prepare for the game and we executed it perfectly today.

'It's a great feeling to come over here and get a win. Obviously, it's a top side, and a top place to come out and play. We had a lot of defending to do.'

The win will provide a major respite for England head coach Eddie Jones, who has been under fire in his third year in charge. The Australian withstood a five-game losing streak before defeating South Africa in June.

'The guys came together really well. We're obviously pleased with our performance because we played a top team today,' he said. 'We want to play good England rugby ... and I think we did that reasonably well.'

England will face their next challenge on February 10 against France in Twickenham. Defending champions Ireland will try and recapture their magic against Scotland on February 9 away at Murrayfield.

Italian heartbreak

Earlier on Saturday, Scotland defeated Italy 33-20 in Edinburgh behind Blair Kinghorn's hat-trick. It was Scotland's sixth win in a row over Italy in all competitions.

The Italians did have one thing to celebrate -- a record 66th Six Nations appearance for captain Sergio Parisse, who broke the record held by Ireland's Brian O'Driscoll.

'It's a good personal achievement, but now I'm just trying to go forward and just enjoy this tournament and try to give it my best,' he told the BBC after the match.

The 35-year-old, who also holds the unenviable record of losing 101 Test matches, would have preferred an elusive win over the record.

'I'm a little bit frustrated with this defeat ... but it's important to keep working and keep positive,' he said.

'It's a difficult challenge, but you have to keep the ball, to keep possession. We gave Scotland a lot of possession. It's good to defend, but you can't defend all the time.'

Wales defeated France 24-19 in the tournament's opening match held in Paris Friday night. George North scored two tries while Gareth Anscombe notched two conversions.

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Strong field

This year's Six Nations began by fielding one of the strongest collection of teams in the tournament's history.

Ireland are ranked No. 2 in World Rugby, just a point behind leaders, New Zealand .

Wales and England are ranked third and fourth, respectively, while Scotland sits in seventh place and France ninth.

Only Italy, who some bookmakers gave 1000 to 1 odds of winning before the tournament, are considered real outsiders as world No. 15.

Women's Six Nations

The women's tournament also began with a bang for world No. 2 England, who pounded Ireland 51-7 on Friday in Dublin.

Remarkably, eight different players scored tries for England, while Player of the Match Katy Daly-McLean added four conversions.

READ: England's women buzzing for Six Nations after groundbreaking deal

READ: How rugby players in Ireland prepare for retirement

Meanwhile, Italy defeated Scotland 28-7 in Glasgow in the second fixture of the Women's Six Nations match.

Wales are to play Grand Slam champions France in Montpellier on Saturday night.

Strong field Remarkably, eight different players scored tries for England, while Player of the Match Katy Daly-McLean added four conversions. Wales and England are ranked third and fourth, respectively, while Scotland sits in seventh place and France ninth. Ireland are ranked No. 2 in World Rugby, just a point behind leaders, New Zealand . READ: Rugby United New York prepares for its debut season Wales are to play Grand Slam champions France in Montpellier on Saturday night. Only Italy, who some bookmakers gave 1000 to 1 odds of winning before the tournament, are considered real outsiders as world No. 15. Earlier on Saturday, Scotland defeated Italy 33-20 in Edinburgh behind Blair Kinghorn's hat-trick. It was Scotland's sixth win in a row over Italy in all competitions. England will face their next challenge on February 10 against France in Twickenham. Defending champions Ireland will try and recapture their magic against Scotland on February 9 away at Murrayfield. 'It's a great feeling to come over here and get a win. Obviously, it's a top side, and a top place to come out and play. We had a lot of defending to do.' READ: England's women buzzing for Six Nations after groundbreaking deal

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