Jones: England back at World Cup peak

Fit-again Tuilagi returns to face Ireland tomorrow Visitors suffer blow as Henderson is ruled out

Eddie Jones, the England head coach, has warned Ireland that his players are reaching levels of intensity greater than they achieved during their World Cup campaign ahead of tomorrow’s Guinness Six Nations match at Twickenham.

Jones yesterday named 12 players in his starting line-up who were involved in the World Cup final defeat by South Africa in Yokohama in Japan last November – including, crucially, the fit-again Manu Tuilagi – as England return to Twickenham for the first time since that game.

It was England’s stunning victory over New Zealand in the semi-final that remains in the memory, however, a display widely regarded as their greatest World Cup performance. And after defeat by France in Paris and a narrow, hard-fought victory over Scotland in the horrendous conditions unleashed by Storm Ciara, there was an air of optimism in the air at England’s training base at Pennyhill Park in Surrey yesterday, with Jones suggesting his players were poised to match or even surpass their World Cup best.

Jones said his players had been “a little bit edgy” at the start of the week, but had delivered their best training session of their Six Nations campaign on Thursday. “[It was] by far the most intense session we’ve done,” said Jones. “We’re getting back to our World Cup level, or even above the World Cup level, whereas, at the start of the Six Nations, we were 20 per cent below that.

“They’ve been building up. We’ve deliberately taken a more ‘building into the tournament’ process because we felt that we needed to get the players right first and we’ve done that and we feel like we’re coming close to our best now.”

His sentiment was echoed by George Ford, who has been retained at fly-half in a back line featuring the return of Tuilagi at outside centre, with Jonathan Joseph switched to left wing and Elliot Daly reverting to full-back, where he played in the World Cup final, in place of George Furbank. Ben Youngs, meanwhile, has earned a recall at scrum-half after his impressive cameo in the foul conditions at Murrayfield.

“We had a good session yesterday. Having a period where you go away back with your clubs and you come back into camp, it’s difficult to go straight back to that,” said Ford. “Two or three, four weeks down the line, as Eddie says, we are back there, which stands us in good stead.”

Central to the feel-good factor in the England camp this week has been the return to fitness of Tuilagi, who has so often been Ireland’s nemesis, most recently in their defeat in Dublin last year when they were in their pomp under former head coach Joe Schmidt.

“Manu is one of those players players like playing with,” Jones added. “He brings a lot of confidence to the team. He’s got a nice manner about him, nice demeanour. A smile on his face but when he hits, he hits people hard. And he’s a great carrier with the ball when he’s at his best. His training this week has been absolutely outstanding. I think he enjoys confrontation.”

And yet Jones’s selection for a game England must win to keep alive their hopes of winning a first Six Nations title since 2017 – and in the process deny Ireland the Triple Crown after victories over Scotland and Wales – is not without risk.

Ireland half-backs Conor Murray and Jonathan Sexton will no doubt look at England’s reshuffled back three and believe they will be able to exploit the inexperience of Joseph, who wins his 50th cap but has yet to start on the wing – while Daly was also unconvincing at fullback in the World Cup final – with their kicking game.

Jones said Furbank, England’s full-back, for the first two games, was “just not quite right” because of a long-standing groin and hip issue but then included him in the wider squad as one of the travelling reserves.

The theme of picking players out of position continued with the recall of Courtney Lawes at blindside flanker, with Lewis Ludlam dropping out of the squad. There is concern too that with Jones opting again for a six-two split of forwards and backs on the bench, a potentially vulnerable back three could be further exposed in the case of injury, with only Willi Heinz and Henry Slade – back in the squad for the first time since he suffered a broken ankle in December – covering the entire back line.

Both sides know the contest will be decided by the dominant team at the collisions, and to that extent Ireland suffered a blow following the withdrawal yesterday of their influential lock Iain Henderson, following the birth of his son earlier in the week. Devin Toner steps in, with Connacht second-row Ultan Dillane joining the list of replacements.

Even without the Vunipola brothers, the England pack looks equipped to edge the physical confrontation, with the return of Joe Marler to bolster the scrum and Ellis Genge once again tasked with a wrecking-ball cameo. Lawes is included for his ruck defence, while the bench is loaded with forward firepower, including locks Charlie Ewels and Joe Launchbury.

Yet with rain and wind forecast, conditions however may yet be the biggest influence, and against an Ireland side travelling with confidence and equipped to play in the elements, England may well need to be at their World Cup best.