Eddie Jones’s side face a severe examination against Ireland in a stadium where they have enjoyed little success
It requires little imagination to guess what England can expect in Dublin this Saturday. The Aviva Stadium will be chilly and raucous, the Irish pack will be fired up and the contest both on the floor and in the air will be ferocious. Any similarities with the quiet, sunny and mellow Algarve where England are preparing are not immediately obvious.
Of course there are benefits to be had from training in warmer temperatures – it was a pleasant 18C in the Algarve on Monday – but England’s modern history is littered with examples of being caught cold by highly motivated Celts away from Twickenham. Almost eight years have passed since their last Six Nations try in Dublin, a consolation effort from the hooker Steve Thompson in a 25-8 defeat during the Martin Johnson era.
Written by Robert Kitson in Vilamoura
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jan/28/england-tooled-up-mentally-physically-dublin-battle under the title “England must be tooled up mentally and physically for Dublin battle”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
