Monday 1 February 2016 17:11, UK
Eddie Jones will be looking to get his tenure as England head coach off to a flying start as they seek just their second Six Nations title since winning the World Cup in 2003.
With English clubs flying high in Europe and contributing five of the eight quarter-finalists in the Champions Cup can the feel good factor be transferred on to the pitch and the early World Cup exit be put to bed?
Head coach: Eddie Jones
Captain: Dylan Hartley
Last year: 2nd
Strengths: If there is one thing that England will be it is well-drilled. Renowned workaholic Jones worked wonders during his time with Japan, whose ability to play to their strengths and core skills helped them overcome South Africa. Jones has voiced his desire for technical excellence and results over cap-collecting and with lineout obsessive Steve Borthwick and defensive guru Paul Gustard on board this side will be nothing short of immaculate when it comes to the basics.
Weaknesses: Inconsistencies. England's forwards were once their cornerstone, their set-pieces could be relied on and their pack, while not the biggest or the scariest, could dominate opponents. At the World Cup England's lineout was prone to malfunction, their age-old dominance over the Australians at scrum time was dismantled with embarrassing ease and they were schooled in the dark arts of the breakdown by both the Wallabies and Wales. Jones has a wealth of young talent paired with some experienced campaigners to choose from up front but if the balance isn't struck or those chosen don't gel they will quickly be exposed.
Who we will love: Jonathan Joseph. Going in to the World Cup Joseph was England's most potent attacking weapon and his injury sustained in the Fiji pool game was a huge blow. It is widely rumoured that Jones' outside centre will be joined in the midfield by two fly-halves in George Ford and Owen Farrell and with the Bath man's attacking vision and the Saracen's distribution, Joseph will be given the platform to showcase his skills and give the Twickenham faithful something to cheer about.
Who will split opinion: England captain Dylan Hartley has a controversial playing past, racking up a total of 54 weeks of bans in his career for a host of offences including biting, gouging, head-butting and abusing a match official. Disciplinary issues aside, question marks have been raised over whether Hartley should even be the starting hooker in Jones' side. His game time in recent weeks has been limited due to a rib injury and concussion and rival Jamie George has caught the eye in Saracens' strong start to the season with statistics showing the younger man to be head and shoulders above his counterpart in performance. However, as the most capped player in the current squad, he brings with him a host of experience along with the confrontational edge that Jones is so desperate to instil.
MVP: One stand-out theme throughout England's dismal World Cup campaign and the reign of Stuart Lancaster as a whole was the lack of a specialist openside flanker. During that fateful night against Australia, England were turned over on 17 occasions and the dynamic duo of David Pocock and Michael Hooper reigned supreme. Jones named just one specialist No 7 in his Six Nations squad, Matt Kvesic, but he has since returned to Gloucester. The task of improving England's breakdown woes looks to lay with utility back-row Jack Clifford or James Haskell.
The big debate: George Ford v Owen Farrell. Eddie Jones has the privilege of two young, talented and contrasting fly-halves at his disposal. Ford was Stuart Lancaster's man of choice in the No 10 shirt during the latter part of his tenure, providing a more attacking outlook on the game. However, Farrell has excelled this season for Saracens, his new found love for playing on the gain-line bringing out the best of those around him. Jones has expressed Farrell's capabilities at 12 could be of benefit for his side but with Farrell in the form of his career, will the Saracens man be able to dislodge his childhood friend from the coveted shirt?
