TheBreakdown
Played5 February 1881
England
v
Ireland
Whalley Range, Manchester, EnglandHead-to-head

No final score is recorded: Tests before 1892 were scored in goals and tries.

Scoring

  1. –CEngland conversion · Lennard Stokes
  2. –CEngland conversion · Lennard Stokes
  3. –TEngland try · Henry Taylor
  4. –TEngland try · Henry Taylor
  5. –TEngland try · Charles Sawyer
  6. –TEngland try · Henry Taylor

The scoring record for this Test does not add up to the final score, so running scores are hidden.

Line-ups

England

  1. 15Albert HornbyFull-back
  2. William RichardsonFly-half
  3. John RavenscroftForward
  4. Charles SawyerThree-quarter
  5. George VernonForward
  6. Charles PhillipsForward
  7. Edward GurdonForward
  8. Hugh RowleyForward
  9. Charles FernandesForward
  10. Henry TaylorFly-half
  11. James WardForward
  12. Charles GurdonForward
  13. Walter HewittForward
  14. Lennard StokesThree-quarter
  15. George BurtonForward

Ireland

  1. 15Tom HarrisonFull-back
  2. William WallisForward
  3. Arthur ForrestForward
  4. William PikeThree-quarter
  5. John BurkittForward
  6. William PeirceThree-quarter
  7. HF SpunnerFly-half
  8. William CumminsForward
  9. George ScrivenForward
  10. Alfred McMullanForward
  11. Meredith JohnstonFly-half
  12. Henry MorellForward
  13. F KennedyForward
  14. David BrowningForward
  15. Henry PurdonForward

Match officials

Sample data
Referee
Sample Referee
Assistant referee
Sample Assistant 1
Assistant referee
Sample Assistant 2
TMO
Sample TMO

Sample data Match officials is placeholder content: TheBreakdown has no data source for it yet, so nothing here is real.

Context

All-time, England 70–54 Ireland, 7 drawn in 131 scored Tests. Full head-to-head

England going inno earlier scored Tests
Ireland going inno earlier scored Tests

Also on this day

Results to 27 September 2026. Scoring and line-ups come from World Rugby match summaries where available; older Tests may have neither.