Eddie Jones seeks a quick start as England prepare to face Ireland

In contrast to Ireland, with their unchanged team and more relaxed managerial regime, things are less serene in the England camp. Some half-decent weather and a good win this weekend could swiftly change all that but with Eddie Jones going through one of his periodic stand‑offs with the media and yet more rain pouring down it would be inaccurate to describe Bagshot as fun central.

In the great scheme of things that should not matter but, at a time when the Rugby Football Union could use some sweetness and light to distract from the Championship-funding saga, there is little of it sloshing . Courtesy costs nothing and, following his trash-talking before the France and Scotland games, Jones’s curt attitude towards broadcasters posing even straightforward questions is not a great look.

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Unlike in boxing, the Six Nations has no need of motormouth head coaches to help sell tickets but perceptions matter and the goodwill generated during the World Cup in Japan is in danger of evaporating. While that may also be deliberate – Jones delights in doing the opposite of what many people might prefer – it makes victory on Sunday increasingly important if this particular England campaign is to end positively.

On that front it helps that the previously injured Manu Tuilagi and Henry Slade are back among the 27 familiar names retained ahead of the team announcement on Friday but, following a disappointing display in Paris and a narrow, weather-battered success in Edinburgh, Jones will be looking for something whizzier against Andy Farrell’s Ireland.

One of the main features of last year’s 32-20 triumph in Dublin, as well as their World Cup semi-final crushing of New Zealand, was the spectacular start England made, and the tone of the entire Irish contest could well be set in the opening quarter. Jones, stretching for the right analogy, compared it to a Formula One grid. “It’s like F1. Get out of the blocks quickly. I’m sure they’re going to want to do the same thing. We’ll see who can get out of the blocks the quickest.”

Given that five locks have been retained in his 27-man squad, including Bath’s Charlie Ewels, it is equally possible Jones wants to repeat his 6:2 bench split and rely less on speed than power to achieve the desired outcome. When asked if there was an element of injury cover involved, an RFU spokesman would only volunteer the term “general niggles”. Could that be what Jones really meant when he described Scotland as “niggly” a fortnight ago?

What no one disputes is Jones’s belief that breakdown excellence will be crucial against the Irish and, in addition to Tom Curry and Sam Underhill, there is a decent case for the Saracens flanker Ben Earl retaining a place in the 23.

It will also be interesting to see if Luke Cowan-Dickie is finally handed a Six Nations start following a rollercoaster month. His new son, born seven weeks prematurely, is still being cared for in hospital but the Exeter hooker is in regular contact with his partner and says his rugby remains unaffected. “I know he is in safe hands and it is the best place for him. It is on my mind [but] I speak to [my partner] quite a bit about how he is getting on and about how she is getting on.”

Cowan-Dickie has been the form hooker in the Premiership this year but has started on the bench for 19 or his 22 Tests, the exceptions being the World Cup pool game against the USA and two warm-up Tests against Wales last summer. “For everyone it is your goal to start a Test match,” the 26-year-old Cornishman said. “If I start, then absolutely brilliant, I have always wanted to. If I am on the bench, I know what my role will be.”

Jones, for his part, was similarly diplomatic on the subject of Johnny Sexton – “we can’t control how he speaks to the referee” – and has also dismissed the suggestion that a more attacking mindset might benefit England on Sunday. “The only thing you’ve got to do in the Six Nations is win … that’s the only thing that counts,” the head coach said. Deeds not words, are obviously England’s priority this week.