[ad_1]
Eddie Jones warned his players about the “huge increase” they face against Ireland on Saturday, suggesting that England are at a disadvantage due to the lack of high-quality opposition they have faced this fall.
England enjoyed a broad, if unremarkable, 40-0 win over Georgia on Saturday to top their Fall Nations Cup group, two weeks after a rusty 34-5 win over Italy sealed the crown of the Six Nations. In dire conditions, England’s scrum laid the groundwork against Georgia, with Jones satisfied with how his team prevailed in an area of traditional strength for their opponents.
However, Jones considers Ireland, which lost to France in Paris last month before beating Wales 32-9 on Friday, another proposal. Ireland has concerns about Johnny Sexton, who limped against Wales with a hamstring injury, but Jones believes Andy Farrell is now making his mark on the team with the introduction of New Zealand-born couple James Lowe and Jamison. Gibson-Park, to the squad.
In addressing England’s opponents thus far, Jones may have been, strictly speaking, wrong in describing Italy as a second-tier nation, but the world rankings seem to back up his point with Georgia ranked 12th and the highest. Azzurri at 14. He said: “[Ireland is] a big step forward. You just have to look at the world ranking. It’s like going from playing [Kei] Nishikori to [Novak] Djokovic. Our difficulty is that we have played against two tier two countries and we are going to play against a team that has had a great preparation against Wales and France.
“[Ireland] They are a tough and physical team, they have been at the top of world rugby for the last four or five years, among the top four or five teams. They have obviously had great European success and had a manager change after the World Cup and Andy has made their attack a bit unpredictable. They present a huge physical challenge and a good tactical challenge. “
The Breakdown – Sign up and receive our weekly rugby union email.
Jones is cautiously optimistic that Jonathan Joseph will be fit to face Ireland, after he was replaced shortly before halftime against Georgia due to a back injury. George Ford may also be in conflict again after an Achilles problem.
Elliot Daly believes England are capable of a more polished attacking performance than they have shown so far this fall. “I think we have that in the locker,” he said. “When necessary, it will come out. The last games, it’s about winning test matches.
“Playing against Ireland, they are very organized with what they do. It’s also a very physical, forward-oriented team with some quality backs. They bring a good kicking game, so we’ll see it this week. “
