‘Unless you say something note-worthy, you don’t get paid’ – Eddie Jones on Irish pundits

“Good luck to them!”

Eddie Jones was far too busy trying to tee up a clash with his underdog England side against the mighty Ireland to concern himself with what a couple of pundits here have been saying.

The England coach is trying to do what he so nearly pulled off to perfection in 2019 – get a squad together that peaks in time for a World Cup. When England thundered through the All Blacks in the World Cup semi-final, Jones and his young side looked to have it cracked, only for the Springboks to squeeze them to death in the final.

Many of those players then went on to claim a Covid-disrupted 2020 Six Nations before a lacklustre [three defeats from five] showing in last year’s championship. And while Maro Itoje says the 2022 title is still there for the taking – England play France in Paris on the final weekend – Jones was doing his best to paint his side as plucky underdogs.

“Ireland are favourites for the game, they’ve been in very good form in the autumn, they’re a very settled team, well-coached by Andy Farrell. And apart from [Andrew] Porter, I think they’ve got everybody available and ready to go.”

“They are literally, and I say that without any hesitation, the most cohesive side in the world,” Jones added. “The bulk of their team train together for the bulk of the year. So they are very well-coordinated in their attack, they are very structured, they’re very sequenced in set plays.

“And they’re tough around the breakdown mate. So that poses a great challenge for us. But we’re looking forward to the challenge, we’re not intimidated by any team and we’re looking forward to playing against them.”

“We’ve got a young squad, but a very good squad, and we’re pleased with the development of the squad,” Eddie Jones commented.

“We’re moving in the right direction, like any team it’s not a straight line to the top. We’ve got our ups and downs, but certainly the spirit of the team is good, the development of the game we want to play is good.”

One of the English stand-outs in the championship has been Harlequins back-row Alex Dombrandt. He is in danger of missing the Ireland game, though, after testing positive for Covid, last Friday.

“He’ll be a chance, but we’ve just got to wait and see how he recovers from Covid. He has to do all the cardiac tests, and then we’ll see on Thursday whether he can train, and participate in the training at the necessary level. And if that’s the case then he has a chance to play against Ireland.”

After their recent 23-19 win over Wales, former Ireland stars Jamie Heaslip and Stephen Ferris were critical of England as they tried to adapt to new players and a new game-plan under Jones.

“Wales have done us a massive favour,” Heaslip declared on RTÉ Television. “They’ve exposed a lot of weaknesses in the English side… I don’t think the players know the direction they are been given because they look a little bit rudderless on that field.”

“Take Marcus Smith out of it, everybody else was pretty average,” Ferris chipped in. “I’m hoping that England turn up, because if they play like that, Ireland will win. Simple.”

Asked if that was extra motivation for his side, Jones replied, “Well, I don’t even know what they said, mate.

“All those guys make a living out of making comments don’t they? Unless you say something note-worthy you don’t get paid, so all they are doing is trying to make a living post their career, so good luck to them.”

England host Ireland at Twickenham from 4:45pm on Saturday, March 12.