England v Ireland: Six Nations preview
Last Updated: 27/02/16 4:34pm
We look at five talking points ahead of England's highly anticipated Six Nations clash with Ireland at Twickenham. on Saturday.
Ireland came into this season's championship looking for a third successive Six Nations title, but injuries and the loss of key players like Paul O'Connell have proven too much of a hurdle as they remain win-less in 2016. Joe Schmidt's side started handsomely in the first 20 minutes at the Aviva Stadium in round one against Wales, but had to settle for a draw. They then fell to a late Maxime Medard try as France edged them 10-9 in bruising battle in Paris.
England on the other hand are unbeaten this year, out-muscling Scotland in Edinburgh before taking Italy apart in Rome, but there are quiet whispers that we haven't yet seen the best of Eddie Jones' side.
The two teams lock horns on Saturday with Ireland needing to repair their campaign while England want a victory that they 'owe' their fans, according to Danny Care. Here we look at five talking points ahead of the clash...
The 'hatred' of England
Eddie Jones has called upon his side to use the 'hatred of England' as a motivating factor in the Six Nations.
It's Jones' first trip to Twickenham as coach of England and though he won't need any motivating, he has offered some to his team ahead of the visit of Ireland.
"Maybe Clive Woodward summed it up best when he said everyone hates England - that's true," Jones said.
"Because of the history that is involved with the social and historical context, there is that long-seated rivalry and hatred of England. You can feel it.
"I'm not going to use it, but within the side they can use it. As I said when I took over, I'm not English, I'm Australian, but I will be absolutely committed to them.
'England haven't exactly set the world on fire'
England may be off to a winning start under Eddie Jones but not everyone is convinced that they are the real deal.
Former Ireland international Alan Quinlan responded to Jones' criticism of Ireland's kicking game by questioning England's results, as well as Jones' influence on the team thus far.
Quinlan said on the Sky Sports Podcast: "We don't really know how England are - they have beaten Scotland and Italy."
"Scotland have lost nine on the bounce. England have not exactly set the world on fire yet.
"Eddie Jones has not really changed this team up too much - they still have not got an out-and-out No 7."
Jones has said himself that he wants to be judged on England's performances in three years' time rather than this season's campaign, but the significance of making a winning start at Twickenham in the wake of the World Cup disaster will not be lost on him.
New boys
All the excitement in England surrounds Maro Itoje finally getting a start and Elliot Daly on the bench. The press has been banging on about them being the saviours of England rugby for some time and finally we will see what they can do in the Test arena.
Injuries may have forced Schmidt's hand but there is just as much excitement surrounding Ireland's debutants as centre Stuart McCloskey and flanker Josh van der Flier make their test bows.
McCloskey has been in superb form for Ulster. He's a big strong man who certainly brings plenty of physicality to the mid-field but to label him a battering ram is underestimating him. With soft hands he has the potential to get the offload away and unlock defences. Starting alongside Robbie Henshaw, this is a massive centre pairing for Ireland and they will certainly look to test England's defence.
In Schmidt's words, Van der Flier has 'the opportunity and a huge responsibility to go out and capture that '7' jersey in what will be a really tough test for him.' A natural scavenging openside, Ireland will hope Van der Flier will add an extra continuity edge against England's imposing pack.
Connacht's 22-year-old lock Ultan Dillane could also make his Test bow off the bench and his power could make a big impact.
"I was doing a couple of tackling bags with Ultan there and it was like hitting a bull, " explained Keith Earls.
"The weight of him. I said it to Johnny [Sexton] 'how heavy is that fella?' Normally you might drive him back a bit but it was just, bang. Stop"
Tactics
Given the extent of Ireland's injury list, what can we expect from Joe Schmidt in terms of tactics on Saturday? This week it has all been 'kicking-off' following Jones' claims Ireland have kicked away 60-70% of possession. Eddie's maths don't quite add up - after two rounds Ireland have kicked from hand 37 times compared to England's 50...
Kicking is of course a crucial part of the modern game and Ireland used a kick and chase strategy to great affect on their way to back to back Six Nations titles in 2014 and 2015, however we can't see Ireland getting much out of an aerial bombardment against England's back three.
Their set-piece is going to be crucial here and the return of Mike Ross is a huge boost for them as Ireland need parity in the scrum.
Van der Flier may not be a ball carrier in the Sean O'Brien mould but he is more of a natural No 7 and his speed at the breakdown will be crucial against a very physical England back-row. Ireland will want to build through the phases and really put the pressure on England's defence. Van der Flier could well see himself be the key man in this game.
Targeting Sexton?
Jones has certainly been making plenty of friends across the Irish Sea and his quips about Sexton's fitness and welfare have caused a bit of media storm.
Sexton has a recent history of head injuries and had to leave the field early against France after some late hits caused what was later diagnosed as whiplash.
Ireland's medical team will no doubt have made sure that Sexton is fit a raring to go come Saturday. Sexton has only finished three of the last 22 Test matches he has started and while not all of these would have been due to injury, at least half have been.
Sexton's role as Ireland's playmaker makes him a legitmate target for England. They will want to close him down as quickly as possible and put pressure on him at every opportunity, and Sexton's team-mate Andrew Trimble believes he will take it all in his stride.
"I don't think Johnny will be frustrated by any of that in the slightest," Trimble said. "I think there has been enough talk about it.
"He can definitely go out there and end a lot of that chat. He certainly got a hard time in the French game, with guys coming at him left, right and centre.
"Johnny's confrontational and aggressive, and that's just with us never mind the opposition. But Johnny can handle it, he can handle himself more than most people out there, to be honest. So I don't think he'll be bothered at all by any of the talk."
England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jack Nowell, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs; 1 Joe Marler, 2 Dylan Hartley (c), 3 Dan Cole, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Kruis, 6 Chris Robshaw, 7 James Haskell, 8 Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Courtney Lawes, 20 Jack Clifford, 21 Danny Care, 22 Elliot Daly, 23 Alex Goode.
Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray; 1 Jack McGrath, 2 Rory Best (c), 3 Mike Ross, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 5 Devin Toner, 6 CJ Stander, 7 Josh van der Flier, 8 Jamie Heaslip.
Replacements: 16 Richard Strauss, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Nathan White, 19 Ultane Dillane, 20 Rhys Ruddock, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Simon Zebo.