No issue with my temperament, says Owen Farrell

Owen Farrell has warned Ireland they target him at their peril as England attempt to ignite their pursuit of the Guinness Six Nations title by recording a first victory in Dublin for six years.

Farrell’s temperament has been identified as a weakness by Irish Grand Slam winner Peter Stringer, who claimed the champions would deliberately attempt to unsettle his former Saracens half-back partner knowing he is a “hothead”.

Stringer could cite a string of recent events as evidence – Farrell escaped punishment for illegal tackles against South Africa and Australia last autumn, while in December and January he received warnings from referees for back chat and overly-aggressive communication.

“It’s up to Peter what he says. I don’t know how long ago it is that I played with him – it seems like a long time ago,” Farrell said.

“I don’t know if he thinks I’ve not changed. He’s entitled to his opinion. I’m competitive. I’ll look to do my job on the field and that’s all that matters.

“Everyone has changed, haven’t they? Everyone tries to get better, everyone tries to grow. All I’m trying to do is be the best I can be.

“I can’t remember that person (the hot head) and I don’t need to. I’m happy with how I am and the way things are going.”

Tuilagi is making his first Six Nations start in six years in the unaccustomed position of inside centre after Ben Te’o was ruled out by a side strain, while Elliot Daly will be able to prove his future lies at full-back when he faces the aerial barrage directed by Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton.

On the left wing is Jack Nowell, who Jones has selected for the Dublin showdown due to his “street fighter” qualities.

Farrell was part of the last England team to prevail at the Aviva Stadium in 2013 and knows what is coming.

“It’s a passionate place with a passionate crowd and they’re a passionate team,” the British and Irish fly-half said.

“You’ve seen that from big Munster nights and big Leinster nights in Dublin. You see how tough those places are to go.

“That probably says you need to get your start right, that you stick in the fight as well as take it to them.

“It’s always a balance in terms of being clear-headed but being aggressive and as combative as you need to be in these big games. We’ve just got to play the game.

Jonny May insists England plan to “fire some shots” against Joe Schmidt’s men.

“We want to come and fire some shots. We know Ireland and we know their threats, but it’s really a case of focusing on what we’re going to do,” May said.

“We’ve been practising our game plan for 10 days and we know what we want to do. Do we want to have a go at them and score some points? Of course we do.”