It’s crunch time for England and Eddie Jones ahead of the Six Nations clash with Ireland 

Judgement day has arrived for ‘new England’. They have reached the sharp end of this Six Nations and now they are braced for the game which will truly reveal where they stand.

England’s campaign and their whole season hangs in the balance. Defeat from a winning position in Scotland, followed by a demolition of feeble Italy and a tense victory over middling Wales has left Eddie Jones’s side caught between a title shot and another potential fall into the depths.

This is the match which will force England to step up from the second division of the championship into the first and there is grave doubt about their ability to handle that adjustment.

The in-camp message is that this is a ‘semi-final’ and it certainly has the feel of a knockout occasion.

The stakes are sky-high. As well as having a major bearing on finishing position, the result also has bigger-picture significance.

England’s transition phase requires the breathing space provided by wins in big Tests. A major overhaul is under way, but those in white today are still the best the country has and, as ever, England expects. That never changes and why should it?

Rebuild projects don’t happen in a vacuum. This is the Six Nations. It is a big deal. Twickenham will be rammed, as always.

Millions will be watching on terrestrial TV as the sport enjoys its annual period of mass-market attention. This rivalry matters. This result matters. It is about pride and history and native passion — not just a staging post on the way to a distant World Cup.

The Irish want England’s prized scalp as much as ever and they won’t fear this appearance at the vast arena in south-west London.

There will be no foreboding in the Irish ranks, especially not with Andy Farrell — back at his old haunt — making sure that they are at just the right emotional pitch. The visitors will not lack drive and fervour.

Andy Farrell’s Ireland team have been in fine form so far during the Six Nations

But England should greet them with the primal fury of desperate men. They finished fifth last year and also in 2018. The scars remain and they cannot stoop so low again. The bottom half of the table should be alien territory.

Ireland haven’t been outside the top three in the six seasons that Jones has been England’s head coach.

Defeat today would leave the Australian under pressure, with a trip to Paris looming. Losses against the Irish and the French would turn the external, negative noise into an uncomfortable cacophony. That is the unavoidable backdrop. England need to win today to validate their mission.

Bill Sweeney, the RFU’s chief executive, would dearly love to avoid having to conduct another messy inquest. The union hierarchy have no appetite for regime change. They have pinned their colours to the existing mast by backing Jones. They want and need this England transition to work.

Eddie Jones (left) has said that Ireland are ‘red-hot favourites’ to beat England on Saturday

Yet, the task at hand is daunting. Ireland are without prop Andrew Porter, depriving them of a powerful fulcrum of their scrum, but have so much pedigree up front, where the contest will be fierce.

Tadhg Furlong is imperious, Tadhg Beirne is a ruck menace and all-action asset, Peter O’Mahony is a wily, veteran nemesis and lineout master, while Caelan Doris and Josh van der Flier give such skill and dynamism in attack.

England cannot do without Maro Itoje if they are to have a chance today. His absence through illness would be a big worry for Jones. The Saracens lock is one of the home forwards capable of going toe-to-toe with the visitors.

Composite selections are a gimmick, but the pick of these two teams would be revealing.

Itoje would represent England, probably Ellis Genge too, Jamie George and maybe one or both of Courtney Lawes and Tom Curry, at a push.

Behind the scrum? Nothing. It would be hard to find a place for any Englishman right now in the Irish back line.

Maro Itoje is a doubt and England cannot do without him if they’re to stand a chance

That’s the individual equation, but Ireland’s primary advantage is how they function as the sum of their parts. Jones called them the ‘most cohesive team in the world’ and he probably had a point there. The strong Leinster core gives them precious fluency.

England are way off that level, so they need the stars to align. It happened against South Africa, so why not again today? Because, based on their efforts to date in this tournament, it would be quite fanciful to imagine a sudden, perfect storm of quick ball, high-tempo attacking flow, set-piece dominance, breakdown command, good discipline and clinical finishing.

Can a team really just ‘click’? Not often, but that is what is needed on this occasion.

Make no mistake, any team coached by Jones will have a cussed, defiant streak and the capacity to deliver a shock-and-awe performance.

England will relish being written off, as per the script of the past week. They can rise up with spirit and brutal intent, but it is hard to envisage them overpowering or outplaying an Ireland side holding so many trump cards.

The pre-match tone has suggested a reversal of history. So often in years gone by, England would be the fancied team, with so many threats and aces. Ireland would gear up to scrap and spoil and try to knock their exalted rivals out of their stride.

Now, it has flipped. The English objective is to stifle Irish ambition and try to smash up Farrell’s gleaming machine.

Good luck with that. England can win, but Ireland should win.