Expect a bruiser but Ireland can tame auld enemy

Ireland v England

Joe Schmidt is not a man given to hyperbole, so when he admits a victory for his Ireland side in tomorrow’s RBS 6 Nations showdown with England would be the biggest of his tenure to date it should not be taken lightly.

Never mind all the auld enemy nonsense, a win against Stuart Lancaster’s team of up and comers at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow afternoon would represent a significant milestone for Schmidt’s own upwardly mobile squad.

Ireland haven’t looked back since losing to England at Twickenham last season winning all nine Tests since, while the English have stepped onto something of a rollercoaster over the same period. They may have had Ireland’s number for three years but there has always been a hiccup in their Six Nations campaign since Lancaster took charge of a broken team in the aftermath of the 2011 World Cup debacle.

It was the Irish who pipped them last year, consigning them to a third runner-up finish in succession on the final day, and for the second year in a row on points difference. Four defeats on the bounce to the All Blacks on tour and then back at headquarters in November was followed by another demoralising blow, this time at the hands of the Springboks. Yet fortunes have changed since with wins over Samoa and Australia in the autumn and the defeat of Wales in Cardiff three weeks ago getting a World Cup year up and running for the hosts in spectacular style.

Which brings us up to date and a meeting of two teams still with a Grand Slam in sight heading into round three.

Ireland have been trundling along with the maximum of effort and the minimum of style in beating Italy and France while England have looked by far the most potent of the Six Nations participants after two rounds in overcoming the Welsh and demolishing Italy.

This, though, will be the biggest examination of title credentials for both sides and the importance of it all is not lost on the Ireland head coach.

Since the loss to New Zealand in November 2013, Schmidt has seen confidence boosted in many ways, against France to win the championship last March in Paris, at home to both South Africa and Australia in November and the French again a fortnight ago.

Now he has set his players, all bar Jordi Murphy having started the 18-11 win over France, another challenge in the hope they will advance the cause another step along the road to greatness.

“It’d be the biggest win we’ve had so far, without a doubt,” Schmidt said. “The position we’re in, what we’ve got to play for, the year that’s in it, the players that have come in and out of the squad... there’s a number of things that it would be great to give that confidence to the players, to know that they’re capable of doing it.”

Those previous successes have shown they are clearly capable but the last two games have seen a shift in emphasis, a withdrawal into a more pragmatic shell that saw France beaten without Ireland crossing the try line.

That may have the purists wailing about the death of rugby but Schmidt is actually making the most of what is at his disposal while he tries to bed in an inexperienced midfield who still need to gel with the players around them. After being spoiled for so long by the Gordon D’Arcy-Brian O’Driscoll centre partnership, Ireland need to give Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne more time to find their feet, not purely because they have just three games played together but only two matches into their working relationship with fly-half Johnny Sexton.

The forecast for rain and predictions of another arm wrestle with the England will help in that regard for the sort of practical, effective rugby on display against Italy and France may well be needed again in Dublin tomorrow.

The criticisms levelled at England midway through the autumn were that they had to stop learning and start winning having moved away from fundamentals that made them a force in beating the All Blacks a year previously. They still had not found a settled backline and were badly missing the midfield presence of Manu Tuilagi who had helped them rule the gain line against all comers.

Tuilagi may still be missing and those problems seem to have been fixed, not least by the arrival of Bath backline trio George Ford, Anthony Watson and Jonathan Joseph.

England are scoring tries for fun, showing their strength in depth in the forwards by flexing their muscles in Cardiff and looking every inch the team of the moment.

Yet while Ireland may have changed style, whether through necessity or not, they have not forgotten how to win.

It may not be pretty and it could well be another brutal exercise in attrition but it should again prove successful to land a first win over England since 2011. And is there an Irish fan out there who would not settle for that if it were to deliver the biggest win of Joe Schmidt’s Test coaching career and keep Ireland on track for more silverware?