Eddie Jones is looking to kill Ireland with kindness after insisting that Andy Farrell's side is "the most cohesive in the world".
The England head coach looked to start the build-up to Saturday's Twickenham clash between the old rivals by heaping high praise on the visitors who, like the Red Rose, have two wins from their first three games in this year's Six Nations.
The wily Jones made his comments right at the start of today's briefing and wasn't shy about labelling England's opponents as favourites to win - a tactic he has employed plenty of times in the past.
"Three teams can win the tournament and we're delighted to be one of those three," said Jones.
"Ireland are the favourites for the game, they've been in good form in the autumn and are a very settled team, well-coached by Andy Farrell.
"Apart from (Andrew) Porter, I think they have everyone available.
"They are literally, and I say it without any hesitation, the most cohesive side in the world.
"The bulk of their team train together for the bulk of the year, they're very well coordinated in their attack, they're very structured, they've very sequenced set-plays and they're tough around the breakdown.
"So, they pose a great challenge for us.
"We're looking forward to the challenge, we're not intimidated by any team. We're looking forward to playing against them.
"They move the ball at pace, the secret to any attack is to move the ball with pace and with accuracy.
"They've got good running lines, they're a very cohesive team because of the amount of time they spend training together."
Jones dismissed criticism of England during this championship, with the likes of former Ireland stars Stephen Ferris and Jamie Heaslip are the forefront of the naysayers.
Heaslip has described England as 'rudderless', but Jones said: "I don't even know what they said, mate - all those guys make a living out of making comments, don't they?
"Unless you say something that's noteworthy, you don't get paid so all they're doing is trying to make a living post-their careers, so good luck to them."
Jones has his own, more positive, spin on where England are now as they prepare for Ireland's visit.
"We've got a young squad, but a very good squad and I'm pleased with the development of the squad," said the Aussie.
"We're moving in the right direction, like any team it's not a straight line.
"We've got ups and downs, but certainly the spirit of the team is good, the development of the game we want to play is good and we're looking forward to the game on Saturday.
"We're in a very good position. We've got a little over 12 months until we get together for the last part of the project.
"Three months before the World Cup is where every team becomes equal, we all have the same amount of time to practice.
"Up to now, teams have got their players for differing times, differing experience. We can only have 35 players until Tuesday, others can have 42 until Thursday, it's all different.
"Once you get to the World Cup start it's all equal.
"How are we tracking now? Yeah, in a really positive manner. It's not a perfect straight line, sometimes we're going a bit quicker than others and sometimes we'd like to go a bit quicker but we've got a great spirit in the side."
England's barrelling no 8 Alex Dombrandt is a doubt for the weekend, but Jones quipped: "The dogs are barking, but the caravan moves on.
"He'll have a chance, we've got to wait and see how he recovers from Covid.
"He has to do all the cardiac tests and we'll see on Thursday if he can train at the necessary level. If that's the case, he has a chance to play against Ireland."
Jones confirmed that Manu Tuilagi is unavailable, but Sam Underhill is another who could come back into the equation for the Red Rose.
"He's a quality player, he's had a difficult season with Covid, sickness, a few injuries," Jones said.
"He's a little bit off his best, but we'll give him the opportunity to train tomorrow and see where he's up to, see if he's at the necessary level to play an international game against Ireland. He'll be in consideration for the 23."
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