DALY IN LINE TO FACE IRELAND AFTER CONCUSSION
ENGLAND wing Elliot Daly is winning his fitness race to start in Saturday’s Grand Slam showdown against Ireland. The concussed 24-year-old passed the latest stage of his return-to-play protocol — comprised of non-contact training drills — following a reckless tackle by Scotland hooker Fraser Brown. After Brown was cleared at a disciplinary hearing yesterday, Eddie Jones began finalising his team for the Aviva Stadium. His key selection decision is at No 8, with Billy Vunipola and Nathan Hughes challenging for the jersey. Vunipola filled in at training yesterday, but Hughes could yet start as the Saracens star fights to reach peak fitness. With no lingering problems from a leg injury, Owen Farrell will start, setting up a father-son duel with Ireland defence coach Andy Farrell. Having been on the same team with Saracens and England, the pair will go head to head for the first time. ‘I think the only person it will affect is my mum,’ said the England No 12, whose dad was sacked by England following the World Cup. ‘I think she’d like 3-0 England. I wouldn’t say I’m coming up against him — I don’t think he’s playing is he?’ As a player, Farrell Snr played rugby league for Great Britain
before switching codes to union. He was a highly competitive player and, having grown up ‘watching dad lift trophies’, Farrell Jnr is quickly following in his father’s footsteps. Contact is now limited to several phone calls a week — ‘like any other family’ — but Eddie Jones believes the unusual dynamic will have no impact on Saturday. ‘They’re mature enough to get on with it,’ said England’s head coach. ‘They’ve talked about rugby since he was big enough to sit at the dinner table. Neither of them need extra motivation. They’re Farrells. That sums it up.’ Having initially been picked as a stopgap option at inside centre, Farrell Jr has become half of one of the world’s best partnerships with outside No 10 George Ford. Former England wing Mark Cueto — who played alongside both Farrells — expects a contest for bragging rights at the family home in Harpenden. ‘Big Faz is going to want to prove a point,’ Cueto told Sportsmail. ‘It’s going to be a really funny dynamic in the Farrell household this week. Owen’s mum Colleen and their daughters will have mixed emotions. Little Faz is a chip off the old block, but they are ultimate professionals. You couldn’t meet a more down-toearth bloke than Owen. He’s a driving force. That’s massive credit to Andy in the way he has brought him up. ‘But at five o’clock on Saturday, it will be business for two hours and that relationship doesn’t matter. It was like that when Andy was coaching England.’ Jones is expecting Ireland to pepper England’s back division with high balls. Mike Brown went through extra kicking drills with Jonny Wilkinson yesterday but the full-back does not expect Farrell Jnr to be fazed. ‘Owen’s probably not had a second thought about it,’ Brown said. ‘It was weird when Andy was first coach of England, but not now.’