England will look to rebound from their 13-6 loss to Wales in Cardiff when they tackle Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday.
Photo: Copyright Steve Haag Sport Hollywoodbets
England v Ireland
24 August 16h00
Twickenham Stadium
To Win
England 4/10
Draw 20/1
Ireland 21/10
Handicap
England (-6.5) 9/10
Ireland (+6.5) 9/10
That result came off the back of a pretty impressive performance in London a week earlier when Eddie Jones’ men vanquished the same opponents 33-19.
With just one Test to go after this week – a one-off against Italy in Newcastle – there is very little time for Jones to tinker with his squad selection before the World Cup. Expect the team he names to start against Ireland to be close to full-strength.
The expected return of Mako Vunipola will give his side a welcome boost, with the big 28-year-old having been on the sidelines since Saracens Champions Cup final win over Leinster in May.
On his day, Vunipola is arguably the best loosehead in the game and any matchup between him and Ireland’s Tadgh Furlong at scrum time is worth the price of admission alone.
Meanwhile, Joe Schmidt is also set to name a formidable XV himself with most of his frontmen available for selection.
While perhaps not a “frontman” himself (or at least not yet), Joey Carbery’s continued absence means Schmidt will need to give one of, if not both Jack Carty and Ross Byrne more game-time in Emerald Green.
Johnny Sexton certainly can’t be expected to play every game in Japan and it’s imperative the duo are prepared if the injured Carbery doesn’t recover in time.
Ireland’s 29-10 win over Italy earlier in the month was solid if unspectacular. They will need to deliver a much-improved showing if they are to knock over the men in white.
Verdict: England by five or more
This is a tough one to call what with so much attention turned toward the impending World Cup. It will be a close contest but the hosts should sneak it at the Home of Rugby.
Written by Shaun Goosen for Holywoodbets
