Everyone expected sweeping changes when Eddie Jones ditched Super Rugby for Twickenham, but bar a couple of new faces, the differences between his and Stuart Lancaster’s England weren't stark in the opening two weeks of the Six Nations.
However, in the last few days we’ve seen the differences.
Lancaster never really went in for the mind games. He was always respectful (you could argue to a fault), low key, but assured. His career read like a man who respected chain of command working; his way slowly along the ladder from PE Teacher and academy coaching to the head coach of the national side. He was the kind of guy you’d want coaching your kids, a poster boy for the values of rugby.
Eddie Jones - on the other hand - is the kind of no-nonsense, straight-talking, brash Aussie that makes other no-nonsense, straight talking, brash Aussies blush.
This week he’s come out of his shell. He’s loving the microphone. First it was the kicking stats, which were a little lopsided:
“They kick 70 per cent of their ball away. If they want to do that, good luck to them. It has worked for them. It is not the way I think you should play rugby but it has been successful for them, so good luck.”
And then came the real mind-games. Johnny Sexton’s health has been a talking point in Ireland for up to a year at this stage, and Jones picked it up and ran with it, sounding more like a character from the Sopranos than an international head coach.
“They’ve talked about him having whiplash injury, which is not a great thing to talk about. I’m sure his mother and father would be worried about that. Hopefully, the lad’s alright on Saturday to play.”
Targeting players is nothing new, and as long it’s all with the laws of the game, it makes sense. If someone’s poor on the outside, run at them. If a team has a weak scrum, go at it. If their fullback can’t catch a cold, then bombard him with garryowens.
Whether it’s Sexton or anybody else that the English put at the centre of their plans, it’s only natural that England will look to expose weaknesses. You’d expect Joe Schmidt is doing the same.
However, the mind games are detracting from what is set to be a big day for the future of Irish rugby.
Two young uncapped players will start tomorrow in Stuart McCloskey and Josh van der Flier, while Ultan Dillane will probably make his debut from the bench.
It’s a positive to take from Ireland’s poor start to their title defence; had they claimed wins against both Wales and France, there might have been less incentive to put van der Flier into the mix. But with things as they stand, there isn’t a huge amount to lose.
As well as the debutants, there’s the return of the Irish scrum’s safety blanket in Mike Ross. 14 years the senior of van der Flier, he’s back to renew his rivalry with Joe Marler, which is always a great individual contest to watch.
Jack McGrath retains his place at loosehead, but after using James Cronin sparingly off the bench against both Wales and France, Schmidt will likely show more faith in Cian Healy in the final 30 minutes.
Donnacha Ryan will start alongside Devin Toner in the second row, and with the Munster man, you know what you get. All-action, manic aggression and physicality. With Maro Itoje making his first start for England in their second row, Ryan could be just the type to rough the 21-year-old up. And after Eddie Jones’ comments in the last week, he’s probably frothing at the mouth at the prospect of taking on England.
Keith Earls slots back onto the wing after missing the defeat against France, but the Irish backline also have Simon Zebo in reserve, ready to inject some pace from the bench. His impact could be crucial, if he enters the fray with the game in the balance.
The danger for Ireland is the pace of the English backline. Stuart McCloskey has made his name as a powerful runner, but his number one duty could be defensive tomorrow. Jonathan Joseph has picked up this year where he left off in 2015, and has the ability to seriously stretch the Irish defence. With Jared Payne out, Henshaw and McCloskey have a big job on their first day out as a partnership.
There hasn’t been more than 10 points between the sides in any of their last four meetings, and it’s hard to see that changing tomorrow.
But with Ireland after spending the last two weeks taking verbal body shots from Eddie Jones in the press, expect this one to be a bruiser.
England: Mike Brown, Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Owen Farrell, Jack Nowell, George Ford, Ben Youngs; Joe Marler, Dylan Hartley (captain), Dan Cole, Maro Itoje, George Kruis, Chris Robshaw, James Haskell, Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: Jamie George, Mako Vunipola, Paul Hill, Courtney Lawes, Jack Clifford, Danny Care, Elliot Daly, Alex Goode.
Ireland: Rob Kearney, Andrew Trimble, Robbie Henshaw, Stuart McCloskey, Keith Earls, Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack McGrath, Rory Best, Mike Ross, Donnacha Ryan, Devin Toner, CJ Stander, Josh van der Flier, Jamie Heaslip (captain).
Replacements: Richardt Strauss, Cian Healy, Nathan White, Ultan Dillane, Rhys Ruddock, Eoin Reddan, Ian Madigan, Simon Zebo.
