England v Ireland

Twenty players per side, no points system, and still the rivalry that defined a sport was born.

On 15 February 1875, England hosted Ireland at The Oval in Kennington for the first ever meeting between the two nations. England won by two goals to nil, though no formal points system existed at the time. The match was played under rules still being standardised, with twenty players per side. It marked the beginning of what would become one of rugby's defining rivalries.

Occasional friendlies became fixtures with genuine stakes the moment a championship title was placed on the table in 1883.

The inaugural Home Nations Championship in 1883 gave the England v Ireland fixture a formal competitive framework for the first time. England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales now played each other annually for a championship title. England won the first edition, and the structured format transformed what had been occasional friendlies into fixtures with genuine stakes. Ireland claimed their first championship title in 1894.

A former cabbage patch in south-west London became the permanent home of English rugby in January 1910.

Two seismic shifts arrived in 1910. Twickenham Stadium hosted its first international match on 15 January, when England played Wales on what had been a cabbage patch in south-west London. That same year, France joined the tournament, expanding it to the Five Nations Championship. England's new home ground gave the Ireland fixture a permanent, purpose-built setting, and the atmosphere at Twickenham quickly became part of the rivalry's identity.

Sixty-one years would pass before Ireland tasted Grand Slam glory again; the 1948 triumph was a long time earning its sequel.

In 1948, Ireland achieved their first Grand Slam, beating every team in the Five Nations including a victory over England at Twickenham. It was a landmark moment for Irish rugby, achieved just two years after the end of the Second World War. Remarkably, Ireland would not win another Grand Slam for 61 years, making the 1948 achievement all the more treasured in Irish rugby folklore.

A city's anniversary gave one of rugby's fiercest fixtures its own piece of silverware to fight over.

In 1988, the Millennium Trophy was created to celebrate Dublin's millennium year, giving the England v Ireland fixture its own dedicated silverware. Presented by the respective rugby unions, the trophy is contested each time the two sides meet in the championship. It added a layer of prestige to an already intense rivalry, giving players something tangible to compete for beyond championship points.

Professionalism levelled the playing field; Ireland have never looked back.

Italy's admission to the championship in 2000 created the Six Nations, adding another fixture to the calendar and increasing the tournament's commercial profile. The professional era, which had begun in 1995, was transforming the sport. Since professionalism, the head-to-head record between England and Ireland has been far more evenly balanced than the historical overall, reflecting Ireland's rise as a consistent force in world rugby.

A 36-point winning margin in Dublin; England's Grand Slam class of 2003 were already world champions in all but name.

England's 2003 Grand Slam, clinched with a 42-6 victory over Ireland at Lansdowne Road, was a statement of intent from a side that would go on to win the Rugby World Cup later that year. Martin Johnson's team were at their imperious peak, and the demolition of Ireland in Dublin demonstrated the gulf in class. It remains one of the most dominant performances in the history of the fixture.

Sixty-one years of near-misses, ended in Cardiff on a single defining afternoon.

In 2009, Ireland won the Grand Slam for the first time since 1948, with Brian O'Driscoll's side beating Wales in Cardiff on the final day. The campaign included a crucial victory over England, and the achievement ended over six decades of near-misses. It announced Ireland as genuine contenders at the highest level and set the tone for a period of sustained Irish dominance in the championship.

Ireland won their third-ever Grand Slam on English soil, and Twickenham barely knew what had hit it.

On St Patrick's Day 2018, Ireland sealed a Grand Slam with a 24-15 victory over England at Twickenham. It was a performance of composure and precision, with Ireland controlling the game from start to finish in front of a stunned home crowd. The result confirmed Ireland's status as the dominant force in northern hemisphere rugby under Joe Schmidt, and it marked only their third Grand Slam in history.

Over 140 meetings in, and England still cannot afford to take Ireland lightly on a Six Nations afternoon at Twickenham.

As the fixture approaches its 150th anniversary, England and Ireland have met over 140 times in Test rugby. England lead the all-time record with 81 wins to Ireland's 55, with 8 draws. But the modern era tells a different story: since professionalism, the contests have been tight, unpredictable and frequently decisive in the championship race. Twickenham on Six Nations weekend, with the Millennium Trophy at stake, remains one of the great days in the rugby calendar.