England head coach Eddie Jones says his team intend to "defuse" Ireland's kicking game in this Saturday's Six Nations clash.

Jones,who had likened the approach to "Aussie Rules" last week, did also described Ireland as the "benchmark" of European rugby.

"Schmidt has certainly brought a lot more kicking into their game and they kick 60-70% of their possession away, so there will be a lot of ball in the air. It's our job to defuse those kicks and turn it into good possession," he told Sky Sports.

Jones also reserved plenty of praise for the way Schmidt has coached Ireland.

"They've been the benchmark of European rugby. Whilst they've got a few injuries, they're a country that has centrally contracted players so it's a big advantage for them. They know the condition of all the players in Ireland, they can bring them into the squad at any time they want, so they'll be a well-equipped, well-coached [side]. They're very well coached by Joe Schmidt. It'll be a difficult task for us on Saturday." 

Meanwhile, Jones has decided not to call-up centre Manu Tuilagi for this weekend's game after he made his return from injury for Leicester over the weekend.