Eddie Jones is well aware just how hard it is to win away games in Test rugby but insists the expectation is that England will leave Dublin victorious in Round 1 of the Guinness Six Nations.
England haven’t won at the Aviva Stadium since 2013 but have an opportunity to change that fact against Ireland on Saturday February 2.
Ireland ended an eight-year losing streak at Twickenham in last year’s Championship en route to a Grand Slam and head into the 2019 edition full of confidence after a winning summer tour of Australia and a perfect autumn – including a first-ever victory over New Zealand in Dublin.
But a staple of Eddie Jones’s tenure as England coach has been blocking out extraneous noise and focusing on his own team.
So it should come as no surprise that the Australian is unconcerned by his opponents’ record and is eager to secure some all-important momentum heading into the remainder of the Championship.
“The only thing we can do is prepare well, be 100 per cent committed to how we want to play and take it from there,” said Jones.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s the supposed biggest game because our job is the same – prepare the best we can.
“It’s Test rugby – away games are hard to win. There are societal reasons for that – teams at home are more comfortable but when you’re a good team you win home and away.
“Ireland will be tough but we’re planning to win. Our expectations are the same. Go to Ireland and win – that’s been the same at every Championship.
“Ireland are continually evolving their game. What stood out in the autumn was the number of passes they made – they have increased their passing and decreased their kicking.
“But the Guinness Six Nations is a different beast. I’ve never seen a Championship game that’s not brutal.”
England – who won three games from four in the autumn and pushed New Zealand all the way at Twickenham – will be boosted by the likes of the Vunipola brothers, Joe Launchbury and Ellis Genge all being back from injury.
Captain Owen Farrell had minor hand surgery last week but both the fly-half and his coach were bullish that he would be fit in time to face Ireland a week on Saturday.
Jones said: “I’m confident Owen is going to play against Ireland and then we’ve got George [Ford] in there as well, so we’re stocked at No.10, which is why I didn’t call up a third fly-half.”
And Farrell added: “I had a small surgery last week. It was a gradual thing but it was only something small. I’m confident I’ll be able to play.”
