Aerial battle key against England - Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park

Jamison Gibson-Park reckons controlling the skies will be key to the outcome of Ireland's opening Guinness Six Nations game against England.

One-on-one contests for the ball in the air are now much more prominent in the game.

Not a new law, but since November referees have been hot on penalising blankets of slow-moving team-mates who are hanging around the general vicinity to protect the receiver of high kicks in the backfield.

Steve Borthwick’s side made an average of 29.9 kicks in play across their Test matches in 2024 and retained possession from 17% of their kicks in last year’s Six Nations, the highest return rate.

Ireland, by comparison, had the lowest, coming in at 6%.

The inclusion of 6ft 5in Freddie Steward at full-back, who played just three times for England last year, suggests that the visitors are also placing a high premium on the high ball.

"Yeah, it’s big, especially in this day and age," Gibson-Park, set to win his 39th cap on Saturday, said when asked about the aerial battle.

"We’ve touched on the new laws and it’s a massive contest in the air that can swing games massively so you are certainly going to have to be on it from a kicking game and an aerial game as well.

"That’s a huge part of the game, and hopefully we go well at it."

While team-mate Tadhg Beirne has hit out at the new rules, brought in mid-season, which afford scrum-halves more protection at ruck and scrum, it’s an amendment that suits the 32-year-old New Zealand native.

"I can see what they’re trying to do, they want a cleaner, faster game so I think it certainly makes sense from that point of view," said the Leinster back.

"I don’t mind it. I feel the forwards probably have a different opinion but it’s kind of the way the game is going.

"We’re