It’s fair to say that Ireland have never been in a better position to win the Six Nations Championship, but it may be just as fair to say that winning it this year may not be sufficient.

According to the bookmakers, Joe Schmidt’s side are 5/6 favourites to retain their title – what would be a fourth win in six years. Only the three titles in four years from 1948-51 would compare with such a sustained dominance.

Obviously, it’s impossible to pick and choose what you win, but we’d bet that, if asked, most Irish fans wouldn’t take another Six Nations win if it meant failing to reach the Rugby World Cup semi-finals.

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With greater performances have come greater expectations and now, for the team, management and supporters, being the best in Europe isn’t enough any more.

Maintaining the form

In a World Cup year, the Six Nations isn’t necessarily a distraction, but it certainly shouldn’t be allowed to overshadow what lies further down the line. Coming off such a great 2018, with the only defeat coming away to Australia in the summer (in a series Ireland still won 2-1), Ireland need to maintain their high level of form while also ensuring that they can peak in Japan in the autumn.

It’s a tall order but it would be arguably more difficult to ease off and then take things up a gear in the World Cup – even if such a plan of action didn’t impinge on the innate professionalism of those involved. In any case, coach Joe Schmidt will want to win his final Six Nations.

The easiest way to go is to do what Ireland have always done under Schmidt – simply focus on winning the next game. In that regard, it’s probably a good thing that the first Six Nations test is theoretically the toughest one, with England visiting the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening.

Ireland have won three of the last four against the old enemy, with the most recent two coming in the final round of games of the previous two Six Nations, denying England a grand slam in 2017 before claiming one last year.

This time round, the clash comes at the beginning of the campaign and a win would go a long way towards retention of the silverware. By the same token, a defeat would make it all the tougher to come out on top – Ireland have won the championship four times in the last decade and each time they won their opening game.

Verbal barbs

England are the second favourites and it will rankle with their coach Eddie Jones that he has a losing record against Ireland, having won the first meeting in 2016 but then losing the aforementioned other two.

The Australian is a classic pantomime villain and relishes the psychological warfare before a big game like this. However, if everyone knows you’re saying things for a reaction, do you eventually reach the point of diminishing returns?

According to Joe Schmidt, Jones promised him a few “verbal grenades” when they met at the Six Nations launch last week, but even before that the England coach had been making suggestions that Jonathan Sexton had a “bat-phone” to the referee during games.

Since then, Jones has said that all of the pressure is on Ireland ahead of the opener and then followed that with the assertion that Ireland are the best team in the world.

It may well be part of a clearly laid-out plan to unsettle Ireland, but when your outpourings are delivered in such a scattergun fashion, it’s not guaranteed that any of them will stick.

Banter

For his part, Schmidt doesn’t take it too seriously: “I enjoy the banter with Eddie because he’s that irrepressible character. I respect him as a strategist, he’s a smart coach.”

To that end, there is a sense on both sides that this will be a war of attrition, the classic ‘earning the right to play’. Schmidt has said he expects England to try to brutalise his side, while England defence coach John Mitchell expects Ireland to “bore the **** out of us”.

The return of Billy Vunipola is a huge boost for England, but Ireland’s squad is deeper than it has ever been all over the pitch. If something should happen to Rob Kearney, Jordan Larmour steps up; likewise Josh van der Flier is there if Seán O’Brien is unavailable.

Even at number 10, where Jonathan Sexton was previously so far above the other options, Joey Carbery looks like he can step up after a fine half-season with Munster.

Under Schmidt, Ireland have never looked beyond the task at hand. The easiest way to prepare for the World Cup is to have a good spring. Saturday will tell us a lot about the likelihood of that materialising.

A chink in the Dubs’ armour?

While it would be very premature to say that Monaghan are Dublin’s bogey team, managers across the country will have noted with interest the Farney Men’s win in Sunday’s Allianz Football League Division 1 opener.

Last year, Monaghan’s victory over Jim Gavin’s side came in the final round of games, after the Dubs had already secured their place in the final, but this was a win with no asterisk attached to it and others will study it in order to replicate it.

It is of course easier said than done – not every county has someone like Conor McManus to win four attacking marks, one of which led to Shane Duffy’s crucial goal in the 2-13 to 1-13 win – but the chasing pack will take any chink in the champions’ armour and look to exploit it to its fullest.

On Saturday, Dublin host Galway in Croke Park, with the Tribesmen coming in off the back of a victory over newly-promoted Cavan.

The last time Dublin lost two games in the one campaign was 2015 and they will be keen for that to remain the case.

However, should they slip up again, it would increase the likelihood of a first Dublin-free league final since 2012.

Whether Monaghan or anybody else can repet the feat of last Sunday come summer to stop the Dubs’ drive for five though remains to be seen.