Power, pace and skill desert Eddie Jones’s team in the Six Nations finale as Ireland rediscover the intensity that halted the All Blacks’ winning streak late last yearThe ceremony was bittersweet, the trophy heavy, England’s smiles thin and unconvincing. They won the title with a defeat, their first in a year, five months and 16 days. Their last loss was to Australia at Twickenham in October 2015. So it was an unfamiliar feeling and, judging by they way they looked and the words they spoke, the players did not find it had improved too much in the time since they last experienced it. For a chunk of the team it was a new sensation. Maro Itoje, Ben Te’o, Elliot Daly,...
Ireland can toast wins against Eddie Jones’s side and the All Blacks – the top two sides in the world – inside four months after a super-charged show of defianceSay what you like about Ireland’s rugby men but they keep everyone guessing. This season they have been up and down more often than an addicted bungee jumper, mixing huge adrenaline rushes with regular descents back to square one. Since the joy and incredulity of Soldier Field in Chicago last November, they have been short of comparable highlights – until now. Beating the English in Dublin will never lose its appeal. Related: England pursuit of grand slam and record foiled by defiant Ireland Continue reading...
Billy Vunipola’s return should boost England, while Ireland are likely to struggle without Conor Murray and France may be distracted by domestic mattersThe significance of Billy Vunipola’s return for England cannot be overstated. Not only does he lift those around him, he also brings formidable carrying that Eddie Jones’s side lacked in the early stages of the competition. As the Championship has worn on, however, Maro Itoje has grown into his role at blindside flanker and Courtney Lawes now finds himself in his best ever international form. Itoje and Lawes swap at scrum time and so you could argue Lawes is effectively playing at No6, regardless of the number on his back. His carrying was relentless against Scotland and while...
The Six Nations winners will lead the way in selection but the style of play will not be Eddie Jones’s. Gatland faces a tough job matching personnel with outlookEngland’s success in the Six Nations and their long winning run are a blessing and a curse for Warren Gatland. As the British & Irish Lions’ head coach starts turning names for the tour to New Zealand from pencil to ink and erasing others, the champions’ players are high on confidence but have an attacking style markedly different to Gatland’s Wales.England’s first three tries against Scotland last weekend came directly from lineouts, with speed of hand and foot rather than power undoing the defence. In 2013, when the Lions toured Australia, Wales...
The team heading to Dublin seeking consecutive grand slams for the first time in 25 years ‘could become the best England side ever’, believes Peter WinterbottomBack-to-back grand slams take some winning. The last time England managed the feat was in 1992, the heyday of Will Carling, Peter Winterbottom, Dean Richards, Jeremy Guscott, Rory Underwood et al, which shows the exalted company Dylan Hartley’s team are trying to join. If they do defeat Ireland on Saturday to complete a second successive full house, their achievement will stand history’s definitive test.Even a quarter of a century later, the class of ’92 can still recall every little detail of their fabled campaign. They had great players but, then as now, were bruised by...