Attrition.

Assistant coach John Mitchell reckons Ireland will try to “bore the shit” out England this weekend in their Six Nations opener at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Ireland have always adapted an attritional style of play under Joe Schmidt, never afraid to go through the phases in order to find a weakness in an opposition defence. And Mitchell thinks Ireland are “arguably” the best side in the world and will punish England if they are not fully focused.

“Ireland are arguably the best in the world and, for me, are a side who – through their process being a well-coached side – are resilient and they will try to bore the shit out of us basically,” Mitchell told BBC Sport.

“Ultimately, it will come down to a small piece of possession when you’re not focused that can hurt you, in a contest like this.”

The former All Blacks boss, who also had a brief stint as forward coach for Ireland, says England’s aim is to win the Six Nations and that they “might as well” get straight into the men in green “straight away.”

“It’s our aim to win the Six Nations but first up is Ireland and arguably they are the best team in the world,” he added.

“If you’re going to play the best team in the world, you might as well get into them straight away.

“They’ve deserved all the honours that came their way in 2018. Having them first up makes the challenge even more exciting. It’s a challenge that you don’t over-think, instead you walk towards it and embrace it.

“It’s always been tough playing there, but it’s even harder now because they’re a well coached side. They’re very consistent and have a process they’re very confident in.”