‘And so? I’ll have to play': How Sophie Ellis-Bextor unwittingly previewed Red Roses vs Ireland
At half time on Saturday, Sophie Ellis-Bextor – looking utterly fabulous, and oozing vanilla-scented schmaltz like a particularly girly Lush bath bomb – will fizz onto the pitch at Twickenham and perform ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’.
It’s going to be a riot – a joyful extravaganza of face-splitting smiles and the sort of dance moves usually only bust out when home alone and tidying the kitchen. A bona fide boppy banger with a feel-good factor of 117 BPM. I can’t wait.
The question is: will the afternoon’s real murder have already taken place? Will there be any life left in this fixture by the forty-minute mark? The Red Roses are the most lethal team in rugby – killing grooves, burning houses down, and proving anyone wrong who thinks they can get away – and, unfortunately, this one comes with the sense of inevitability which remains this competition’s deepest flaw.
That said, Saturday has the makings of England’s toughest assignment yet. Packer and co. will get the job done eventually, but – as Ellis-Bextor struts her stuff – there’ll definitely be twists and turns still to come. Claudia Winkleman, lurking in the tunnel beneath several inches of kohl and extortionate knitwear, will have to bide her time before delivering news of this particular murder.
Put bluntly – the Red Roses will win this Test match, because they are significantly better than anyone else in the Six Nations. They’ve scored 140 points and conceded ten. They have the best line-out and a near-faultless scrum. They have an eye-watering average ruck speed of 2.8 seconds, and they eat gain line for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
They’ve done all of this despite terrible place-kicking and a concerning lack of discipline. They’ll be playing at home, in front of over 45,000, and in pretty perfect conditions for the rampaging rugby they’re deploying this campaign. ‘I’ll blow you all away – hey.’
Ireland, though, have impressed enough so far to promise a tussle – and gave the Grand Slam champions a proper rattle last year in Cork. The 0-48 scoreline suggests otherwise, but the beleaguered, wooden spoon-destined home side drew England into an unwanted scrap – and eked their worst performance of the tournament out of them. 23 handling errors, a relatively measly 2.5 points per entry, and a – *gasp* – scoreless third quarter.
‘The breakdown was a right mess,’ a frustrated Mo Hunt told the press pack who’d pondered whether or not Simon Middleton’s side would stick 100 on their green-clad victims… Far from it.
Niggly, but well-beaten in 2023. In 2024? A vastly different prospect. Winning WXV3 provided time together and momentum, if not much genuine competition, and they’ve been on an upward trajectory since. They had a bit of a free hit in France, which they used to reintegrate their 7s athletes and give both Nicole Fowley and Dannah O’Brien time at stand-off, before missing an opportunity the following week versus Italy.
Their collective response against Wales spoke volumes – as did Edel McMahon’s cool assessment of that thumping victory. In round three, she said, they executed the processes they’ve been developing since Scott Bemand’s appointment, ‘and the result pretty much took care of itself.
We enjoyed it, but we’ve already refocussed ahead of the next one – and have really gone after training this week.’ They’ll be huge underdogs at Twickenham, but the quiet confidence of Ireland’s skipper reminded us that the hunted can go hunting, too.
They’ll have to: you can’t sit back and wait to see what the Red Roses will do. Just ask Sophie. ‘I know (I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know) about your kind. And so (and so, and so, and so, and so, and so, and so) I’ll have to play.’ Ireland have demonstrated recently that they’re increasingly good at doing just that.
They’re second in the standings for metres made, line breaks, and tackle busts – and behind only England and France for offloads, tries, and carries over the advantage line. They relish turnover ball, some of their handling against the Welsh was sumptuous, and they’ve have had six individuals cross the whitewash already.
They’re also, under new defence coach Declan Danaher, increasingly robust without possession: operating with accuracy, dominance, and discipline. Centre Aoife Dalton has spoken about how much they’ve come to relish this element of their game, and that they’ve even surprised themselves with their own physicality. Against the Red Roses, they’ll need all of that hunger and cohesion.
Personnel-wise, Bemand’s assembled a squad blending fearless youngsters, relentless 7s operators (history-makers in Perth, remember), and Premiership standouts. O’Brien’s pinpoint off the tee, and always seems to have so much time to lash the ball upfield or select her passing option. Aoife Wafer has been a revelation in the back row, where Brittany Hogan is quietly growing in stature.
Spend five minutes watching just Christy Haney go about her business if you want to feel utterly exhausted – or Aoibheann Reilly, who’s brought such zip to proceedings – and allow yourself a moment to appreciate that this squad boasts both Neve Jones and Cliodhna Moloney. There won’t be a better hooking duo named this weekend: guaranteed.
What’s a colossal shame is the absence of Sam Monaghan, not yet recovered from her heroics against Wales, who’s already barrelled her way to the top of the carry charts despite missing the opening round. The lock’s sensational – British & Irish Lions levels of sensational – and they’ll feel her loss keenly. They certainly did last week, when their line out crumbled and output slowed as soon as she came off the field.
No Monaghan, then – but a real coup in the IP stakes. In her resurgent anthem, the 2008 face of Rimmel London warns us not to ‘steal the moves’, but Scott Bemand – who spent almost a decade in a rose-embroidered tracksuit – is going to use every ounce of inside scoop to undermine his former side. ‘We know what we’re up against,’ he said this week with an impish grin, ‘and know a few areas of the field where we can put the ball – and maybe cause them some problems.’
It won’t be enough to derail John Mitchell’s world number ones, but Bemand’s scouting report will be encyclopaedic, and those little nuggets might just buy Ireland the odd metre, second, or fistful of white jersey.
Thanks to Barry Keoghan’s sociopathic smoulder, Sophie Ellis-Bextor is back. Thanks to a squad chock-full of talent and desire, and a newfound clarity, so are Ireland. England never went anywhere, nor will they allow their Grand Slam tilt to come unstuck before the tens of thousands descending upon Twickenham.
But, as the pop princess said when asked about her triumphant return to the charts, ‘you have to be open to the unexpected’, and Saturday’s fixture will be well worth watching: these cohesive, confident women in green will have a few moves of their own, for sure.
Comments on RugbyPass
Close games are what we want to see…. What a match it was…. I am sure that everyone was drained by the end of it. The reality of it all there has to be a winner and a loser. The fact that we still talking about it is almost 6 months to the day Rugby is the winner.. Asante sana… Here is to 2027 and what it will bring out.
179 Go to commentsIt’s going to be a good game. COYQ
1 Go to comments“Shock”, the guy was casually saying he was just slightly surprised. Nowadays if you say anything it gets taken completely out of context. Calm down everyone.
154 Go to commentsAll I can say after reading this bitter, sour, sad piece is… Thank you very much! This will be read in the change room just before kick off on 31 August…
179 Go to commentsLook, we know contradicting opinions and wacky comments bring readers and clicks, so well done to RP for allowing always-wrong-Ben to say something here. However RP needs to put a disclaimer next to his comments for their own credibility. NZ was and is incapable of acknowledging their opp beating them. They refused so with Ire and with Arg in 2022 and also the Boks in 2023 x 2. Nothing Ben says here holds water, NZ attacked backwards, except when Kolisi and Kolbe was off And cyncialy took out Bongi, we played without lineouts for 75mins. Kolisi and Kurt-Lee almost scored twice. Thats 3 vs 2 for Boks, but the Boks opportunities was legal. Boks should have been 16-3 up by half time. Tacticaly the Boks attacked better defended better scrummed better (without a hooker) kicked better and crossed the whitewash more times. Boks beat Fr Eng Nz to win in 23, comeon give some credit at least. Even Federer Verstappen NY Mets, Mamoa, was able to see a great human sport achievement by the Boks and their DNA Boks #RWC27 !🏉
179 Go to commentsForget the 85kg bit, that can become something else. However I do like the one off test on ANZAC day idea. SR plays Fri/ Sat, test players travel Sunday and the squads have the full week together before playing Saturday. Rest of SR has a week off. Either involve women's teams in same location or in the other country and rotate annually. Herbert is right in that change is needed.
3 Go to commentsI’ve read loads of nonsense before but this article takes the cake. Or perhaps someone changed the date for April Fool's Day.
3 Go to commentsReally Rugbypass? Ben Smith I think you forgot what the Springboks did to the All Blacks at Twickenham 8 weeks earlier? Springboks 35 All Blacks 7. There is alot of ifs and buts in your article. The All Blacks threw the sink at the Springboks and unfortunately they were not good enough regardless if they played with 14 men or not. It was the Springboks who forced the All Blacks to make mistakes! Sorry but not Sorry the Springboks is the best ever Rugby World Cup Nation in the world. 4 Cups baby!
179 Go to commentsYou just backed the Boks with that fantastic review! Well done! Have some cake!
179 Go to commentsBen Smith please write up something better than this. The Springboks would have won the world cup if you were 15 men on the field. They would have found a way, they always find a way to beat the All Blacks.
179 Go to commentsWow, there is a lot of “could have” and “ should have” in this waist of time dribble. I love the desperation in this story to search for a glimpse at a silver lining. Here are the facts, NZ was a badly coached and undisciplined shadow of their former glory. They never took the lead in a game they were never going to win.
179 Go to commentsGOTTA MAKE ‘THE GEORGE’ HAPPEN!!!! That’s a great idea! A trans Tasman midget battle on ANZAC Day. I don’t think the ABs Wallabies game should be a one off winner takes all though, just the first match with the other two later in the year with the RC. Reason being, no one will ever shut up about how aussies couldn’t win it when it was a 3 match series.
3 Go to comments@Ben smith. Thats knock out rugby. So honeslty who cares?
179 Go to commentsIt will interesting to know which Irish players said that…
2 Go to commentsNaaaww boys will be boys! Now run along ya wee scamp! Don’t let us catch you at again😏
1 Go to commentsGreat to have Ethan Blackadder back in the Crusaders in the last few weeks. One of the best all round loose forwards around. He played so well last week against the Rebels. Fantastic attitude Ethan has and his comments are spot on.
2 Go to commentsThe author is 100% right. The Springboks know that they don't have near the natural attraction, mana, skill and mystic the All Blacks have. So, Chasing the sun 1 & 2 was concocted to overblow the Boks image on the back of a corruptly obtained “win". It's marketing ploy to force the Boks delusion as the World's Best. I guess World Rugby is also not to be believed when it came out with an apology about how the final was officiated. And if the 2023 final such a superb game by the Boks, then the Boks crying about Referee Bryce Lawrence for decades is also deserves a laugh. Chase the sun and get burned like a moth. A very well written literary piece that tore the Boks and Chasing the sun farce to shreds. 🖤All Blacks🏉
179 Go to commentsI’d say France was far more hard done by in the 2011 final than the All Blacks in this game. Joubert simply refused to call a penalty against the All Blacks in the last quarter even directing an All Black to drop a ball he picked up in an offside position rather than penalizing him. This article also totally discounts the efforts of PSTD. Ask Jordie how well he played. Or the backup flank who played hooker for the entire game. Siya was also a brilliant tackle by Richie from scoring a blinder. Pollard was also fantastic. Look I don’t like the boks style but the only thing more questionable than the content of this article is the timing of it. Get over it already
179 Go to commentsDad Marty was also a handy rugby player for Linwood back in the day. Great bloke. Sensational softball career.
2 Go to commentsWhat ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
179 Go to comments