Tuesday 29 January 2019 15:03, UK
Ireland will look to antagonise England's "hothead" captain Owen Farrell in Saturday's Six Nations opener in Dublin, according to Peter Stringer.
Former Ireland scrum-half Stringer is the latest to wade into the war of words ahead of the keenly-anticipated Aviva Stadium showdown, insisting England talisman Farrell is prone to losing his cool.
England defence coach John Mitchell has claimed Ireland will try to bore England, while Eddie Jones sniped that Johnny Sexton has the "bat phone to the referee".
Munster stalwart Stringer paired up at half-back with Farrell in a Saracens loan spell in 2011, and remains convinced there is leeway to wind up England's hugely-accomplished general.
"Eddie will have them fired up, and you see the likes of Owen Farrell: he's in charge of everything they do, being captain and having all that responsibility, but he is a hothead," said Stringer.
"I've played with him, he loves that physical side of things, but you can get under his skin, you can rattle him. He is a guy they'll be looking to get after."
In an intriguing sub-plot, England will be looking to unlock an Ireland defence designed by Owen Farrell's father Andy and Stringer believes that if things do not go Farrell Jnr's way, he will get rattled.
"If things go well for Farrell, on the front foot he's a great player but going backward he's a guy who loses the rag completely, which you don't want from your captain," said Stringer, speaking at a sponsor's event in Ireland.
"You can get under a lot of these guys, you can rattle them. Ireland's discipline is very good, England's not so much - they'll be looking to start a scrap at every opportunity, just to rattle Ireland.
"It's going to be intriguing, and how Ireland deal with it will be fascinating, because that brutal nature England always bring will be heightened this year.
"They'll be hurting, they won't want to see Ireland doing well and going to the World Cup as favourites."
