England’s James Haskell has admitted his side are not worried about Ireland, and has described the Six Nations champions as ‘irrelevant’, the Daily Expressreport.
Haskell has been recalled by head coach Eddie Jones to face Ireland on Saturday afternoon, as England look to bounce back after back-to-back defeats to Scotland and France in previous weeks.
Talking to the media ahead of the game, Haskell said:
After losing against Scotland and France, it’s more important we put on a performance, get a victory and acquit ourselves well. What it means to Ireland is kind of irrelevant. We don’t talk about that.
A win for Ireland would give them a third Grand Slam in their history and a first since 2009, condemning England to a third straight defeat in the Six Nations in the process.
England coach Jones has decided to recall Haskell, in what has been a controversial week for the head coach, after a video leaked of Jones labelling Ireland as ‘scummy’, something Rory Best has said will not be used as motivation for his Irish side.
