Preview: Simon Easterby's inauguration set for England test

As tempting as it is to start rebuilding for a World Cup crack in 2027, there is a significant piece of Six Nations history for Ireland to target in the short term.

No team has ever won the Guinness Six Nations outright – or even the old Five Nations - three times in a row.

Ireland's previous crack at the three-peat never really got off the ground as they drew with Wales and then lost to France in a World Cup hangover in 2016.

If Ireland are to go where no team has ever gone and win three in a row, doing it without head coach Andy Farrell would be a remarkable achievement.

While Farrell is away prepping his British and Irish Lions tour to Australia this summer, Simon Easterby steps in as the night watchman for this Six Nations championship, and the summer fixtures against Georgia and Portugal.

The early signs are that the Ireland interim boss isn’t going to move the furniture around too much, with a settled squad named for this tournament. Saturday’s matchday squad to face England contains a total of 1190 caps for an average of 51 per player. Even discounting centurions Cian Healy and Conor Murray, the starting team are averaging 45 caps apiece.

The most inexperienced man in the starting team is in arguably the most pivotal position. All eyes will be on Sam Prendergast (above) as he makes his Six Nations debut, having held off Jack Crowley for now. The 21-year-old has all of the weapons to run Ireland’s attack, but how he copes defensively will have a major say in their bid for a third title in a row.

There is unlikely to be any great evolution in terms of personnel, but Ireland’s performances in the Autumn Nations Series show that evolution will be required in their overall game.

While Ireland won three out of four games in