Men’s Six Nations: Ireland v England

Venue: Aviva Stadium Date: Saturday, 1 February Kick-off: 16:45 GMT

Coverage: Listen live on BBC Radio 5 Live; text commentary and highlights on BBC Sport website and app; watch on ITV1.

Twins Tom and Ben Curry will play together for England for the first time after being picked as the starting flankers in the team’s Six Nations opener against Ireland on Saturday.

The Sale pair, 26, will start either side of number eight Ben Earl, with back-row options Ollie Chessum, Chandler Cunningham-South and Tom Willis on a bench containing six forwards.

Uncapped wing Cadan Murley is preferred on the left wing to Ollie Sleightholme, with Exeter flier Immanuel Feyi-Waboso out after dislocating his shoulder.

Alex Mitchell has recovered from a knee problem to start at scrum-half, with Marcus Smith at fly-half and Freddie Steward at full-back in the absence of the injured George Furbank.

Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence continue their midfield partnership, while Luke Cowan-Dickie starts at hooker after Jamie George was ruled out of the game with a hamstring issue.

Maro Itoje, who replaced George as captain two weeks ago, will resume his second-row combination with George Martin.

England: Steward; Freeman, Lawrence, Slade, Murley; M Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Stuart, Itoje, Martin, T Curry, B Curry, Earl

Replacements: Dan, Baxter, Heyes, Chessum, Cunningham-South, Willis, Randall, F Smith

Tom Curry made his breakthrough early, becoming the youngest England starter in more than 90 years when he appeared as an 18-year-old against Argentina in 2017.

Ben, who had been picked ahead for Tom for a match against the Barbarians earlier that summer but withdrew with a back injury, has had to wait longer.

He won the first of his six caps against the United States in 2021, by which time Tom had been picked for the British and Irish Lions.

Head coach Steve Borthwick had intended to play them in tandem in the latter stages of England’s opening autumn international against New Zealand in November, but opted instead to replace Tom with Ben off the bench.

Regardless Ben, the older brother by 90 minutes, described the occasion as “very special”.

“When you go back home and you look in your room and there is artwork that you have made at primary school and high school – there is one of me in an England shirt,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast on Tuesday.

“Everything has led up to this moment.”

While they are the first twin brothers to play for England, Emma and Jane Mitchell were part of the women’s team that won the Rugby World Cup in 1994, while Poppy and Bryony Cleall have been part of the Red Roses set-up more recently.

The combination of the Curry brothers and the mobile Earl in the back row suggests England will compete hard at the breakdown in an attempt to break up the rhythm of an Ireland side who are aiming to land a third successive Six Nations title.

Tom Willis, who appeared in a warm-up match against Wales in 2023, is primed to win only his second cap off the bench after a stellar season with club side Saracens.

The 26-year-old, whose older brother Jack is outside of England eligibility at French side Toulouse, has topped the Premiership stats for defenders beaten and gain-line carries, while also appearing in the league-wide top 10 for turnovers, tackles and metres made.

“As a squad Saracens have said to us to bring the enjoyment back into things,” he told Rugby Union Weekly.

“We’ve done really well as a forward pack and that has helped free me up to do what I do.”

He says he would not over-complicate his approach to the Test game.

“I try and get through as much work and battles as possible,” he added.

“I will try and get the team on the front foot and just go from there.”