Changes Ireland must make ahead of Six Nations clash with England

Ireland travel to Twickenham this weekend to face off against England in the Six Nations following their victory over Italy in Dublin.

The performance of Andy Farrell’s side could be called clunky at best, as they just about managed to edge the Italians in a close encounter, with several players struggling to impress in the green jersey.

Steve Borthwick has already named his England team for the upcoming fixture with the Irish as they look to bounce back from their defeat in the Calcutta Cup and, in the process, handed Scotland the Raeburn Shield.

Henry Pollock being given his first start in an England jersey was the notable takeaway following several impressive cameos off the bench; however, attention will now be on Farrell as he prepares to name his team on Thursday morning for this crucial fixture.

It is likely the Ireland head coach will make several key decisions regarding the starting team, and here are the five changes we believe he should make to the team this weekend.

Rónan Kelleher

Dan Sheehan has always been a consistently great option for Farrell and even holds the record for the most tries in the Six Nations from a forward with 13.

The 27-year-old has started the past two games at hooker for Ireland but has not delivered the world-class performances fans have become so accustomed to seeing when he pulls on the green jersey.

Rónan Kelleher had a great performance last weekend off the bench against Italy, as he brought real intent in the carry and helped shore up the Irish scrum.

He should be rewarded for this with a start against England this weekend, seeing Sheehan drop to the bench, with the hope being that he can have as significant an impact as Kelleher had last time out against the Azzurri.

Tadhg Furlong

Ireland have been hampered by injury in the prop position on both sides of the hooker, and this has been a key part in their scrummaging troubles this Six Nations.

As players return from injury, there are hopes that these issues could start to be eased, and one player key in achieving this is Tadhg Furlong.

The British and Irish Lion has been struggling with injury issues for the past few seasons, but there is hope he has gotten over these problems, and this may see him return to the side for their trip to England.

Furlong’s impact was easily seen when he was introduced off the bench against Italy, as he carried well, causing some issues for the Azzurri’s defence, and so there will be hopes he can do this against the English this Saturday afternoon.

Jamison Gibson-Park

The New Zealand native was on the bench for the Italy game after he struggled at times against France in Ireland’s Six Nations opener.

Craig Casey has been a reliable deputy to Jamison Gibson-Park for the past few seasons, but this was his chance to stake a real claim to challenge the 33-year-old for the scrum-half position.

However, he did not take this opportunity, as he was one of many that struggled last weekend, and so the more experienced number nine should return to the team.

There was a notable shift in performance from Ireland when Gibson-Park entered the fray with the British and Irish Lions, key to earning the win with his kicking game and the speed at which he can shift the ball from the ruck.

Jack Crowley

In similar fashion to Gibson-Park, Jack Crowley’s introduction was important to the Irish securing the victory, as he was pivotal in Robert Baloucoune’s try while also being a reliable option off the kicking tee.

Sam Prendergast had a day to forget on Saturday as he missed a couple of easy kicks at goal, with his tackling continuing to be an issue that not just the Italians are exploiting.

Farrell may have no choice but to ease the pressure on the 23-year-old by bringing Crowley back into the number 10 jersey for the trip to England.

The Munster player would be the better defensive option against the powerful England side that Borthwick has named, and he also has the ability to ask serious questions of the hosts’ defence.

Jacob Stockdale

The Ulster back has been in fine form for his province this season, impressing both at fullback and on the wing; however, he did struggle in the opening round of the Six Nations against France.

Jacob Stockdale was one of the six players dropped for the Italy match following the loss in Paris, with this decision seeming slightly unfair, as the 29-year-old had a decent second half against Les Bleus.

While Jamie Osborne has performed well at fullback for Ireland, particularly against the Azzurri, he may be moved to outside centre due to Garry Ringrose appearing to sustain an injury in the victory last weekend.

This should give Stockdale the chance to return to the squad for this fixture against England, allowing him another chance to impress Farrell and hopefully rediscover the form he had when he first broke into the Ireland squad under Joe Schmidt.