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TV audience for Ireland win over England peaks at over a million

21 February 2026; Referee Pierre Brousset awards Ireland a fourth try, scored by Dan Sheehan, hidden, during the Guinness 6 Nations Rugby Championship match between England and Ireland at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, England. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/S
Ireland defeated England in style

Ireland's Six Nations victory over England on Saturday attracted an average audience of 898,000 and reached a peak of over 1 million, making it the most watched game of the 2026 Six Nations Championship to date among Irish audiences.

The match, broadcast live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, delivered one of the standout audiences of the tournament so far with a 77% share of the available audience tuning in live on RTÉ2.

A further 350,000 rugby fans streamed the action on RTÉ Player. RTÉ’s television coverage was led by Jacqui Hurley who was joined by a panel of experts, guiding viewers through every tackle and turning point of the game.

As part of RTÉ’s expanded Irish-language sports offering for 2026, Irish-language commentary was available live on RTÉ Player and the RTÉ News channel throughout the game, giving audiences more choice in how they experienced the fixture.

Tonight, Against the Head will dissect all the Six Nations action from the weekend when Hugh Cahill is joined by Bernard Jackman, Darren Cave and Donal Lenihan at 8pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player for a look back at the weekend's Six Nations action.

Ireland meet Wales in their next Six Nations clash on Friday week at 8.10pm on RTÉ2, RTÉ Player and on RTÉ Radio 1.

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