A Grand Slam party for England or Ireland’s chance to once again ruin the party 

This Saturday at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin England who are looking to do a double Grand Slam, head to Ireland in what will be a nerve racking game for the Red Rose in what could be defining game for England and Head Coach Eddie Jones. Standing in their way will be Joe Schmidt’s Ireland team who will love nothing more than to spoil an English party in their backyard. It’s a game all rugby and sports fans in both countries will watch and in this edition I’ll break down the key points.

England’s double Grand Slam a side on the verge of history: 

For England’s Red Roses this is a game that could put them into sporting history. Victory for England will make them the first side in the Six Nations era to win double Grand Slams which would be a remarkable achievement from what England have come through in the last eighteen months under Coach Eddie Jones. Jones from Australia has completely revitalised an England side that was at the lowest it had ever been following an early exit in the World Cup at the group stages. Since taking over Jones has transformed England into one the best teams in the sport with one Grand Slam already and multiple victories over Australia and South Africa, he has made Billy Vunipola the bulldozer he should be, and has turned Owen Farrell into an undroppable player when people (including me) were asking questions of him. Jones has also turned Dylan Hartley and James Haskell into core members of the team when they were both like a dirty secret to previous regimes. If England and Jones can deliver another Grand Slam on Saturday in Dublin then it makes England strong favourites for the World Cup in 2019 but most importantly it puts them on par with New Zealand which will ask a lot of questions for all Rugby Union fans.

Ireland a team with nothing to play for but nothing to lose: 

Going into this game with two defeats you’d think Ireland couldn’t care what the result was but oh how wrong you would be. For Ireland this game falls on St Patrick’s weekend the biggest holiday in all of Ireland; a time for nostalgia and looking back at how Ireland is pretty much liked in the world compared to England. With England coming in under the pressure of the Grand Slam and passing New Zealand’s 18 match unbeaten run which Ireland if I remind you ended. For Ireland nothing would be better than ruining England’s party and sticking it the English once more. So that even if England they do lift the trophy they’ll lift it with smudge on their face. In terms of key players Jonny Sexton is vital to Ireland’s game along with Keith Earls and Rob Kearney. Ireland will want to make it tough for England to get the ball out quickly and Captain Rory Best and Coach Joe Schmidt will be working on that to ensure England get frustrated.

Verdict Ireland 21-31 England:

I’m going for this because I’ve seen England win matches when they aren’t at their best and with the backs they’ve got you wouldn’t bet against them. Ireland will cause them loads of problems but you can’t bet against England right now. I hope for a really pulsating game to end what has been a great championship this year.