Tom Curry and Sam Underhill like the Kamikaze kids, says Eddie Jones

Watch England vs Ireland live on Sky Sports Action on Saturday from 2pm

By Ben Grounds

Eddie Jones explains why he hopes flankers Sam Underhill and Tom Curry will be fit to face Ireland and his reaction to Ben Te'o signing for Toulon.

Eddie Jones believes Sam Underhill and Tom Curry can provide England with a crucial advantage this autumn in Japan - provided they both stay in one piece.

The pair have been passed fit to face Ireland during the World Cup warm-up game at Twickenham on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Action.

Curry has been carrying a shoulder concern and Underhill an ankle problem, but having trained this week at England's Pennyhill Park camp, both are set to be unleashed against Joe Schmidt's side.

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Wales enjoyed success at the breakdown during their 13-6 win at the Principality Stadium last weekend, but speaking at his pre-match press conference in Bagshot, Jones is looking forward to seeing what impact Curry and Underhill can have on Saturday.

"It's not about what we haven't got and more about what they can bring," he said. "They've still got to get through a training session - they're like the Kamikaze kids those two, they hit everything that moves!

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Tom Curry has said England are ready for whatever Ireland have to throw at them before their World Cup warm-up match at Twickenham on Saturday.

"We feel, particularly the way the game's going, it's now tight and very contestable. We saw the last time we were here how much gets contested at the breakdown, how much the referee is allowing at the breakdown.

"By playing two guys who are very good in that area, it might give us an advantage."

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Meanwhile, Jones insists he remains unfazed by Ben Te'o's decision to join Toulon, a move that rules him out of any World Cup replacement role, and hinted the ex-rugby league star was not on his standby list anyway.

Image: Ben Te'o was left out of England's World Cup squad earlier this month

"Everyone makes a choice," the Australian added. "Ben's made his choice so we wish him all the best, and we'll just get on with it.

"We got some word that it was about to happen. But everyone can make their choice and we're happy for him to make his choice."

George Ford and Owen Farrell will start a Test together for the first time in 14 months against Ireland, with Jones keen to explore attacking variety.

The 59-year-old insisted selecting the duo together will help England bolster their attacking arsenal with the World Cup fast approaching.

"We're trying a different strategic approach to the game.

Image: Owen Farrell and George Ford will look to bring more of a passing game

"As we've said all along, these World Cup preparation games are about two things: it's firstly about finding out a bit more about our selections and combinations.

"Secondly, it's about finding out what kind of tactical approaches we need to employ and can use successfully in Japan, because you're going to have to need a few.

"We want to see a passing game, as we've been playing quite a tight game against Wales, and as you saw last week, in a game between two top teams over 80 minutes, there were no line breaks.

"So we feel in this game we need to pass a bit more. With George at 10 and Owen at 12, we can look to do that."

Watch England vs Ireland exclusively live on Sky Sports Action from 2pm and on Sky Sports Main Event from 3pm on Saturday.

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