ED HAS DUCKS IN ROSE

England boss admits he’s coming up with a different plan to combat threat from a new-look Ireland

EDDIE JONES claims England will take a different approach against new-look Ireland to the one that has so worked successfully over the last three encounters.

For the first time in nine years, the Red Rose will face an Ireland side that does not have either Johnny Sexton or Conor Murray in the half-back positions.

Take away the massive experience of Peter O’mahony, Cian Healy and Keith Earls and the rest of Andy Farrell’s starting side has an average of 15 caps between them.

Since Ireland’s Grand Slam parade at Twickenham in March 2018, England have been easy winn ers in th e thre e Te st s between the countries.

But Jones believes the hosts will still have to take a new approach.

‘Well, it’s a different Irish side so we’ll need to play differently,” he said yesterday.

“We’re not sure what they’re going to bring to the table.

“They’ve picked that heavy back row. Normally they pick more of a fetcher in there so that may allude to how they’re going to play but we’ll just have to wait and see.

“Unfortunately in rugby, you never get a head-start from the previous game.

“It would be nice if you got five minutes to play without any opposition but you don’t get that so it’s always back to square one.

You’re always off the same starting mark.

“But any England-ireland game I’ve been associated with has always been a contest up front. Any game between the Six Nations teams is generally a contest up front and I can’t see this being any different.”

Jones is concerned about what new cap

James Lowe will bring to the party, having experienced the damage he can do first hand when he was i n charge of

Japan against the New

Zealand Maori in Kobe five years ago.

“I’ve got a vivid memory of James

Lowe,” he said . “He scored a double chip-and-chase try against us – from his own goalline – so I know what a talented player he is.

“He’s got great work off the ball so we’re just going to have to defend really well against him.”

And Jones put it up to his own back row by claiming that Ireland were the “strongest poaching team in the world”.

He added: “Guys like CJ Stander and Peter O’mahony are both really good at that contest. We have a referee on Saturday who really favours the contest so that’s going to be a real battle.”