Coach: Eddie Jones

Jones plans to lift England out of the lower tier of European rugby after leaving his players shocked over the nation’s lack of success since their finest hour in 2003. Jones has been entrusted with the task of reviving their fortunes after last autumn’s dismal group exit from the home World Cup marked a low point in the country’s rugby history. The quest begins now and a scan down the championship’s roll of honour has left Jones in little doubt that England have been punching well below their weight for over a decade. Since Martin Johnson lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in 2003, Twickenham has celebrated only one title - delivered in 2011 as the highlight of Johnson’s reign as manager - while Wales, Ireland and France have shared the remaining crowns over the last 12 years. Jones believes reversing a culture where players have been happy to collect caps rather than honours is critical to instigating a change in results.

Strengths

In an odd way much of England’s strength in this year’s campaign could come from their desperation to make amends for a disastrous World Cup campaign. After going out in the pool stages amid all the fanfare of actually hosting the tournament, Eddie Jones’ reinvigorated team will be determined to prove that they can still mix it at the highest level. Jones has retained most of the players from the squad that saw their hopes dashed last October, as well as bringing in a sprinkling of new blood. The appointment of Dylan Hartley as captain also serves to add to the theme of this England side being a completely different prospect to that which took to the field in the World Cup.

Weaknesses

Judging by the World Cup campaign the main weakness for England lies in the midfield. Picking Owen Farrell over George Ford, or vice-versa, isn’t going to cause too much controversy either way but it was the gamble of Sam Burgess at 12 and Brad Barritt at 13 that really nose-dived last October. Burgess’ return to Australian Rugby League has taken him out of the reckoning but Jones side can still lack pace in the middle of the park.

Key man: Dylan Hartley

Yes, there are better players who will don an England jersey at this year’s championship and yes, there are a number of players that will have more of an influence on the game. But the appointment of Hartley as captain could turn out to be an inspired decision by Jones or, indeed, a disastrous one. Which of those directions it will go depends entirely on Hartley himself. In picking the 29-year-old to lead his team Jones hopes to add a renewed bite to his team that many say was missing at the World Cup. For Hartley it’s a case of controlling that bite having missed the World Cup and the last Lions campaign as a consequence of disciplinary indiscretions.

Last Year

So near, yet so far. England finished last year’s campaign level on points with Ireland and Wales, pipped to the title by Joe Schmidt’s side only on points difference. After beating Wales on the opening day they followed it up with a convincing win over Italy before losing to Ireland in Dublin. A win over Scotland in the second last game followed by Ireland’s final day victory Murrayfield left England with a daunting 26 point target to reach in their game against France. In a helter-skelter game at Twickenham the two sides traded 12 tries before it eventually finished 55-35 to England, leaving Stuart Lancaster’s side six points behind Ireland in the table.

One to watch: Maro Itoje

From the moment he switched from being a tidy centre-half in soccer and deciding that his athletics career (he represented England at shot-putt at underage level) had to take second place, Maro Itoje has made a massive impact on rugby. The then Saracens academy coach Matt Davis, now at Wasps, spotted the gifted athlete in country trials for Hertfordshire and persuaded him to join the north London club. He played rugby for England at Under-18 and U-19 levels before being handed the captaincy of the U-20 side, a milestone he marked by scoring a try in each of the five matches in the Six Nations and being awarded the player of the tournament accolade.

That summer, 2014, he led the team to World Championship glory, beating South Africa 21-20 in the final. He made his debut for Saracens as a 19-year-old and this season has become a mainstay in the pack, playing in both the secondrow and at blindside flanker. He is an intelligent, thoughtful presence and, injury permitting, a future club and international captain. He possesses the athleticism to excel in the loose and the physical toughness to thrive in the tight exchanges. A former scholar at the School of Oriental and African Studies, he has plenty of interest away from the rugby pitch, but is a keen student of the game too. One of those whom he credits is his former Saracens team-mate and now England forwards’ coach Steve Borthwick. “I’ve been lucky enough to be able to dissect some of his knowledge. In terms of a young second-row growing up, he’s the greatest lineout mind I’ve met. Having such a close experience of watching how he works and the respect he gets and gives in return and how he operates, I think I’ve learnt a lot.”