THEY’RE ALMOST AS GOOD AS KIWIS, SAY IRISH
IRELAND flanker Peter O’Mahony believes England are closing the gap on the All Blacks as the world’s No 1 side. Having studied Eddie Jones’ side at length ahead of Saturday’s Grand Slam showdown in Dublin, the 27-year-old claims they are almost the complete package. Hopes of an Irish upset have been boosted by the fitness of half-backs Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray but the hosts are expecting their toughest test yet. ‘England have to be up there,’ said O’Mahony. ‘They are going for 19 wins in a row. Sides have put pressure on them but they have come out the other side. They are up there competing against New Zealand as the best team in the world. ‘It’s hard to pick out a weakness in their team. We will do the homework on what we can do and what way we might be able to manipulate things but it’s difficult to find weak links. It’s going to be a massive challenge.’ Fly-half Sexton will be central to Ireland’s chances, with Jones predicting an aerial assault of kick-chases at the Aviva Stadium. Twelve months ago, Jones was engaged in controversy after voicing concerns about the No 10’s welfare following a series of concussions. But last night the Australian claimed there is no bad blood. ‘That’s done and dusted,’ said Jones. ‘I apologised and I stand by it.’ Having been tipped as title contenders after their famous victory over the All Blacks in Chicago, Ireland have suffered defeats by Scotland and Wales. But O’Mahony says there are no doubts about the current strategy. Four months ago you go and beat the All Blacks and it’s a different conversation,’ he said. ‘It’s not like we’ve thrown everything out and done something different. It’s pretty much the same squad — we’ve just got to finish off the small things. We can beat anybody in the world on our day.’