England head coach Eddie Jones shared his thoughts on Republic of Ireland legendary footballer Roy Keane, after the Manchester United legend spent an hour talking to the English coaching staff.
England are looking to get off to a strong start in the Six Nations, which kicks off next month. They will travel to Scotland for their first match against Scotland in this year's championship.
While they have suffered the loss of their captain Owen Farrell ahead of the tournament, the English coaching staff have made use of the services of an unusual source of inspiration in the camp.
Speaking to the media at the launch of the 2022 Six Nations, Jones recalled some of the moments that he shared with the Manchester United and Republic of Ireland legend.
"He's one of the funniest blokes I've ever met," Jones said. "He's inspirational, but his stories are incredible, mate.
"Our coaching staff spent about an hour with him and he had us just laughing and laughing and laughing. And then he spoke to the players and he was equally as funny.
"He's certainly one of the most memorable guys we have had in.
"Obviously, (he was) a very good player and a tough guy in terms of the way he played. But you know, (he is) a great raconteur of football stories. So, we'd be happy to get him in again."
Keane has been no stranger to rugby trainings and coaching staffs. In 2008, he took a trip to New Zealand to shadow the All Blacks and their management team.
While he will always be a Cork man at heart, Keane has seldom felt the need to sugar-coat his opinions about Irish players and teams, particularly their chances of beating their opposition.
However, even before that 2008 trip, he told Ronan O'Gara and Laurence Dallaglio that the British and Irish Lions would lose their 2005 series against the All Black, 3-0.
Ireland get their Six Nations campaign underway on Satruday, February 5th against Wales. Andy Farrell's side will be hoping to get a win over the defending champions in the Aviva.
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