Homecoming - England Rugby

Any professional rugby player will tell you that a defeat hurts until they have the opportunity to put it right. This weekend it is England’s first opportunity to truly banish those Rugby World Cup demons by returning to Twickenham Stadium and winning. 

As much as Eddie Jones always reminds us that under his watch they don’t look back in time however even he cannot deny that a large part of his squad’s motivation this weekend will be to right the wrongs of October 2015. This motivation shouldn’t be detrimental to their preparations instead it should add further emotion and firepower to what is always an intense rivalry. 

Ireland may be ravaged by injuries and Joe Schmidt hasn’t been able to select his desired match-day 23 however from where I'm sitting they don’t exactly look ‘weak’. On form Conor Murray and Jonathan Sexton are lethal, in the front-row Rory Best will relish meeting his old adversary Dylan Hartley and Stuart McCloskey’s entrance is a timely one and something that will give England a huge amount to consider down the central channels. Without question CJ Stander is the form Irishman and the uncapped Josh van der Flier brings huge dynamism, and is a genuine fetcher, in their back-row. Ireland may be depleted however they cannot be underestimated. 

This weekend England's focus has to be on nailing the detail of their own output and really singing in attack. To date we’ve seen glimpses of what the back-line can do however on Saturday afternoon we have to see England use all of their pace and guile. With their kicking game Ireland will undoubtably hand possession over to their opponents and what we need to see is the true benefit of having two decision makers, Ford and Farrell on the park and the back three taking their output up a notch. 

England have to ensure that their set-piece is dominant and that the shaky lineout that we saw in Rome is rectified. Of course Maro Itoje is gaining his maiden cap in the second-row however he has worked with George Kruis countless times before and he's strong enough mentally to deal with the pressure of making his debut at Twickenham. Finally in defence England have been rock solid, the only side not to concede a try in the tournament so far, and with another two weeks of training under their belts you expect more of the same.

(C) Paler Images

As the challenges become greater the importance of this squad’s psychology, as well as their physical output, is increased. From the outside looking in I’d deduce that in recent years England’s squad haven’t been as ‘arrogant’ as people thought that they were. The players haven't had a true swagger about them that let opponents know that they meant business. However, under Eddie Jones I am starting to see the first traces of something along those lines emerging. Egotistical arrogance is not the desired result from Jones’ approach to developing his players' confidence instead his goal is to develop an unrelenting self-belief that fuels both individual and team performance.

Two wins from two is a the ideal position to be in going into this home match and on Saturday afternoon England have to focus on their own game and deliver for the full eighty. Against Ireland there's no room for lapses in concentration and without question a very fast, and dominant, start is required. In all honesty Ireland's tournament form means little ahead of this test match due to the fact that they are so well coached and that they'll be playing with the potent mindset of having 'nothing to lose'. 

It is set to be a clear and dry afternoon and evening at Twickenham Stadium, so Eddie Jones' squad will have the perfect stage to banish those Rugby World Cup demons and crank things up to the level required to dismiss Ireland without a backwards glance.