Ireland’s hopes of ending England’s Grand Slam dream have received a massive boost

He destroyed us last time Ireland and England met.

Ireland are currently on the back foot when it comes to their Six Nations championship title ambitions. If, and that's a big if, we manage to successfully orchestrate victories against the French and Welsh over the coming weeks, then we are set for what will be a mouth-watering battle against Eddie Jones' England at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on St. Patrick's weekend. There is a lot of rugby to be played before then but that hasn't stopped the media and fans alike from predicting what could happen if both teams enter that tie with a further two victories under their belts. If Ireland and England win their next two games, it is likely that Ireland will need to beat England by a particular margin in order to win the championship, not to mention deny England the Grand Slam. As tough as that task may be, Ireland will undoubtedly be buoyed by the news that Billy Vunipola has effectively ruled himself out of returning to Jones' side in time for that match, according to The Sun.

"I have still got a while to go - hopefully I will be running soon," Vunipola said. "I think it'll be two or three weeks so I probably won't make the Ireland game."

If you think back to Ireland's 21-10 defeat to England at Twickenham this time last year, Vunipola caused Ireland all sorts of problems and Joe Schmidt's team just couldn't live with his explosive ball carrying. Here are the stats Vunipola posted that day:

• Metres Made - 93
• Carries - 17
• Defenders Beaten - 9
• Clean Line Breaks - 1
• Tackles - 8

So it's clear to see that the powerful 24-year-old was a key reason for England's victory. Of course England have managed to win Test matches without Vunipola on the pitch but it has been evident that their back-row has not been as effective in recent times, highlighted by incumbent Nathan Hughes' difficulty in getting over the gain line in recent appearances.