The most successful side in the history of Rugby’s Greatest Championship, England were stung last time out after a fifth-place finish put paid to their bid for a third consecutive title.
After Ireland’s Grand Slam in 2018, Eddie Jones’ troops will need little added motivation as they look to wrestle back supremacy.
And it’s a mouth-watering trip to the Aviva Stadium that sees England kick-start their bid on Saturday, with sparks sure to fly in Dublin.
Here are three players who could make the difference.
Kyle Sinckler
The high-octane prop has steadily established himself as one of Eddie Jones’ go-to forwards since making his debut off the bench against South Africa in 2016.
Sinckler has subsequently amassed 17 caps for his country and certainly isn’t short on big game experience, having also been selected for the British and Irish Lions for their tour to New Zealand in 2017, winning the penalty from which Owen Farrell struck the winning points in the second Test.
The 25-year-old is known for his destructive ball-carrying and tenacious work in the scrum, with his Harlequins scrum coach Adam Jones labelling him a complete prop.
Sinckler has appeared for England at Under-16, Under-18, Under-19 and Under-20 levels, and featured for the England XV in June 2014 against the Barbarians and Crusaders.
Modelling himself on the game of All Blacks great Carl Hayman, Sinckler looks set to be a crucial part of England’s quest to regain the Guinness Six Nations crown.
Elliot Daly
Elliot Daly made his England debut on the biggest stage, coming off the bench in his side’s victory over Ireland in 2016, and by the following year had made himself indispensable.
The 25-year-old is versatile, having played at centre, on the wing and more recently at full-back for England, and has scored 71 points for his country and the British and Irish Lions.
Daly’s most memorable Championship moment came in England’s 2017 victory against Wales, when he scored the match-winning try with just over four minutes remaining, and five months later he landed a penalty kick from inside his own half in Auckland for the Lions in their famous draw in the third Test.
The two-time Championship winner has played more than 100 times for his club, Wasps, and progressed through the England youth set-up, drawing plenty of praise along the way.
He was nominated for the Premiership Player of the Season award in 2014-15 and for the European Player of the Year award in 2015-16, leading to international recognition that has only fuelled his responsibilities, making Daly one of the go-to faces for Eddie Jones’ side this time around.
Tom Curry
Tom Curry is only 20, but in spite of his tender age already has an eminent set of achievements under his belt with both club and country.
He’s the fourth-youngest player to play in the European Champions Cup, while his start against Argentina in June 2017 made him the youngest starting flanker for England and the youngest England forward for 105 years.
Curry was a first-half replacement against the Barbarians earlier that year, his first senior international appearance, where he impressed sufficiently to claim man-of-the-match accolades.
The Sale flanker is yet to play in the Guinness Six Nations but was part of England’s Grand Slam winning squad from the 2017 Under-20 Championship.
With Sam Underhill out for England’s opening fixtures, Curry is the obvious replacement and despite his inexperience, he could prove a real handful.
