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Eddie Jones has aimed a series of psychological blows at Ireland, who he mischievously referred to as the ‘United Nations’ in allusion to the number of players from the southern hemisphere in their initial XV.
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The England head coach has tried to unsettle Andy Farrell’s team ahead of Saturday’s Fall Nations Cup showdown by also focusing on his scrum technique.
The key blow came against Andrew Porter after Jones sought to draw the attention of French referee Pascal Gauzere to Leinster’s pillar as rivals collide at Twickenham.
Porter, a substitute for the injured Lions’ Tadhg Furlong, gave Wales a steamy moment in the scrum in the tournament’s first round, but Jones has doubts about his approach.
“Porter has done very well, they have taken him well to the Rugby Test. Scrums in a rather unusual way that may need a referee intervention there, so we’ll wait and see,” Jones said.
When asked to explain the source of his concern for Porter, Jones said: “I’ll leave that up to the referee.
“Scrum competition is always challenging against Ireland. We have a referee who generally does not reward dominant scrums, so it will be interesting to see how it looks in that area.
“We will have to adapt to their decisions, there is no use scrumming if you can’t get a result.
“But they have a good scrum. Cian Healy played more than 100 games with his head loose, so he should be highly respected.”
Farrell’s team has five players: Bundee Aki, James Lowe, Jamison Gibson-Park, CJ Stander and Quinn Roux, eligible through residency.
Seizing his opportunity, Jones joked: “I heard someone call them the United Nations, so I laughed a little.
“Andy Farrell, Mike Catt and Simon Easterby are selecting the equipment that they are allowed under the regulations.
“I can understand how the Irish would be upset about the loss of Irish-born players, but it is the laws and regulations of international rugby. They are simply complying with the regulations.”
While adopting a respectful tone in the face of the challenge ahead against the Irish, the first significant loan out of the fall, Jones was happy to continue to pressure a team that England have emphatically defeated in their most recent three meetings.
Ireland opened the competition with a statement by overwhelming Wales 32-9, but Jones referenced Farrell’s claim that it was a “dominant” display when considering Saturday’s clash.
“Ireland were very happy with their dominant performance against Wales and we know they are a very well trained team,” said Jones.
“As their coaching staff said, they were dominant so the challenge is can they bring a dominant Irish performance to Twickenham?
“I know Andy Farrell very well, they will be well prepared and they will come to Twickenham with a point to prove, which always makes them dangerous.
“Every battle is a difficult battle. We were going well and Ireland beat us a Grand Slam in 2017. We will never forget that.
“They are good battles between two good rugby countries, countries of different sizes, different stories, but the battles and the traditional rivalry are huge and must be respected.”
England are holding a bottom line unchanged after their 40-0 win over Georgia, but there are four changes to the group’s personnel with mainstays Kyle Sinckler and Mako Vunipola and flanks Tom Curry and Sam Underhill restored.
George Ford has recovered from an Achilles tendon injury to secure a spot on the bench.
Follow England v Ireland this Saturday via our live blog on RTÉ.ie / sport and the RTÉ News app, watch live on RTÉ One starting at 2pm, or listen to updates live on RTÉ’s Saturday Sport Radio 1.
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