5 talking points ahead of England’s Six Nations clash with Ireland
Eddie Jones’ men need a win at Twickenham to preserve their title hopes.
England enter their 136th meeting with Ireland in a fixture dating back to 1875 as firm favourites to claim a result that would ignite their Guinness Six Nations campaign.
Here, the PA news agency examines five talking points ahead of the game.
Pinch point
Eddie rolls the dice
One of the more bizarre weeks of the Jones era in which he made an ill-advised joke about racism took another dramatic turn in the shape of a team selection full of curiosities – five second rows in the 23, Jonathan Joseph making his first Test start on the wing, Elliot Daly restored at full-back, Ben Earl present as a hybrid back row/wing/centre and another six-two split on the bench. If Jones’ judgement is exposed by Ireland, he will invite more pressure on to his regime.
Farrell v Farrell
A Beautiful Day
The Irish camp was visited by a national hero during the week as U2 frontman Bono met the squad, performing some of his music but more importantly giving a talk in which he discussed the meaning of “Irishness”. It struck a chord with the players, who appear to have been liberated by the departure of Farrell’s authoritarian predecessor Joe Schmidt.
Could the tide turn?
