Mike Catt thinks it's “dangerous.” England Employees own damage IrelandQuest for Guinness Six Nations title But he suggested it could take some time for Steve Borthwick to fully make his mark at Twickenham.
Andy Farrell's champions travel to southwest London on Saturday 9 March looking to stay on track to win back-to-back Grand Slams following victories over… France, Italy a duck Wales.
Despite finishing third in last year's Rugby World Cup, England have failed to fully impress since coach Borthwick replaced Eddie Jones in December 2022, and are struggling to remain in contention for the tournament following a 30-21 Calcutta Cup loss to Scotland.
Asked whether the Red Roses had improved in the post-Jones era, Ireland assistant coach Catt told a news conference: “That's not for me to say, to be honest.”
“Getting it done, especially offensively, takes time. It's hard to get it (right), especially when you're at the top of the sport.”
“The individuals out there are definitely capable of causing (problems) for teams.
“They finished third in the World Cup and are still there, apart from Owen Farrell, but everyone is there and they are well capable.
“It's difficult at this level but they will keep progressing, I have no doubt.
“this England The side is dangerous, and we know they are capable of doing things.
“It's making sure we take the next step and the next step is England at Twickenham. That's all we'll be focusing on at the moment.”
Ireland took maximum points from their first three matches but were below their best in Dublin's wins over Italy and Wales after starting with a big win away to France.
Catt is confident the team will be firing on all cylinders in round four after they “went through the motions” to dispatch Warren Gatland's men 31-7.
“We reviewed the Wales game and it was by no means perfect,” Catt said.
“We've really realized what we need to do now over the next 10 days to prepare properly for England.
“We got away from what we're really good at against Wales.
“It's something we've addressed and we need to make sure we get it right.
“We went through the motions a little bit instead of executing the way we wanted to play, and it was a little disappointing in certain aspects of the game.
“But we have dealt with this and it is something we have to get right for England, so we will do it.”
Midfielder Gary Ringrose took part in Thursday's open training session at the Aviva Stadium after missing the opening three rounds of the tournament with a shoulder problem.
Full-back Hugo Keenan trained separately from the squad as he overcame the knee problem that ruled him out of Wales' win, while back-rower Ryan Baird (back spasm) and prop Oli Jagr (knee) were not involved.
“Gary and Hugo are the two main players who are progressing well, so we'll see how it goes at the weekend,” Catt said.
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