Billy Vunipola says there’s an ‘extra layer’ when facing Ireland

England number eight Billy Vunipola said that there's an extra layer when facing defending Six Nations champions Ireland.

Ireland will kick-off their Grand Slam defence against England next month who will be buoyed by the returns of Billy and Mako Vunipola, Joe Launchbury and Ellis Genge after each player recovered from their respective injuries. England are the last team to have won the championship before Ireland went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018 and Vunipola believes that Ireland will once again post a significant threat.

"Ireland had a great year last year but they've always been good," Vunipola told Omnisport. "I think this year with us, it's not so much being the hunter, you just want to go out there and play rugby.

"Even if we were in the position of Ireland, you just try to play your best rugby. Sometimes that doesn't happen. Hopefully we can do that and put on a performance against Ireland that will test them.

"The first game always has a massive onus on it. This is the first game but there's an extra layer there because it's Ireland.

"They were the Grand Slam winners last year and they're the ones who are kind of flying the flag for Europe right now.

"Quietly, we're confident that we can put on performances that will test teams."

England head coach Eddie Jones said on Thursday that he may use winger Jack Nowell as a ninth forward next month but former World Cup winning coach Clive Woodward said that utilising the Chiefs flier in that regard would effectively be like scoring an own goal.

Woodward has not bought into the idea at all and dismissed the idea as completely irrelevant in his Daily Mail column.

“This talk of using Jack Nowell as an extra forward or an outright number seven is a huge own goal,” wrote Woodward. “This was his first press conference of 2019, a massive year for English rugby and he’s discussing something completely irrelevant. “It may be Nowell is going to play more centrally without the ball rather than being left out wide. But, again, why telegraph this? Ireland will be tracking him now.”

The Northampton hooker misses the cut with a knee injury allowing Farrell to skipper Eddie Jones' side with England also calling on the uncapped quartet of Jack Singleton (Worcester), Ben Earl (Saracens), Ollie Thorley (Glouceser) and Dan Robson (Wasps).