Ireland began its Six Nations three-peat bid by blowing away England during 30-plus minutes of controlled aggression in the second half for a 27-22 comeback victory in Dublin.

AN EIGHT-DAY turnaround after a bonus-point win on the opening weekend of the Six Nations is just about the dream scenario. The extra day of recovery will help any Ireland player carrying the usual bumps and bruises that come with taking on a fired-up England team.

Ireland got off to a five-point start to its bid for an unprecedented third straight outright Six Nations rugby title, overpowering England in a second-half recovery to rack up a 27-22 victory in Dublin on Saturday.

The biggest game of the opening weekend of the Six Nations sees England travel to Dublin to take on Ireland in a true heavyweight clash. Both sides will need a win to keep pace with the red-hot France, who demolished Wales yesterday. Kick-off is at 5:45am NZT.

Position by Position, Ireland's rugby legends assess the candidates and pick their XV to start the opening Six Nations game against England in Dublin