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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Tom Sunderland

Manchester United icon Roy Keane welcome among England camp - 'One of the funniest blokes I've met'

Eddie Jones has brought in a long list of motivational speakers to talk to England 's rugby stars during his time at the helm, but even amid a sea of stars, Manchester United icon Roy Keane stands out from the crowd.

Olympic gold medal-winner Jessica Ennis-Hill recently spoke to the team ahead of their upcoming Six Nations opener in Scotland on February 5, in what was likely a very different address to the one given by Keane.

Different occasions call for different measures after all, and it was during the build-up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup that Keane left Jones and his players in stitches with his endless supply of anecdotes.

Putting his Irish allegiances to one side, the seven-time Premier League champion served as both an inspiration and entertainer just before England went on to claim the silver medal in Japan.

"He's one of the funniest blokes I've ever met,” Jones said at the official Six Nations launch.

England boss Eddie Jones called Roy Keane "one of the funniest blokes I've ever met" following a team talk before the 2019 Rugby World Cup (Sky Sports)

"Like, he's inspirational but his stories are incredible, mate.

"I remember our coaching staff spent about an hour with him and he had us just laughing and laughing and laughing, he spoke to the players and he was equally as funny.

"He's certainly one of the most memorable guys we've had in [to camp]. Obviously a very good player and a tough guy in terms of the way he played the game, but a great raconteur of football stories.

"So we'd be happy to get him in again."

Keane's words may well have had some impact on a successful campaign as England advanced to the World Cup final in 2019 before losing 32-12 to South Africa.

His native Ireland, meanwhile, might have done with some inspiration of their own as they exited the quarter-finals for the third tournament running, with Joe Schmidt departing as head coach shortly after.

As well as helping United dominate England's top flight for much of his 12-year stay at Old Trafford, arguably Keane's greatest achievement came in helping the club to the Champions League in 1999, though he was suspended for the final.

Eddie Jones is preparing for England's Six Nations opener against Scotland on February 5 (Getty Images)

England are hoping to conquer Europe themselves as they target a Six Nations resurgence, having disappointed massively en route to a joint-worst finish of fifth last year.

Both Jones' men and Ireland came through the autumn with three wins from three, and the Australian's former assistant, Andy Farrell, led the latter to a particularly impressive victory over New Zealand.

England aren't scheduled to host Ireland until the penultimate round of this year's Six Nations on March 12, however, leaving Jones with plenty to overcome before contemplating that clash.

Roy Keane shared a sweet snap with mother Marie to celebrate the New Year (Instagram @officialkeane16)

"I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm not too worried about Ireland at this stage,” the former Wallabies boss replied when asked about the Round 4 fixture.

"The only game we're worried about is Scotland.

"So I obviously watched the games and our coaching staff watched the games in Autumn and we're pleased they're doing well, Andy Farrell is a good mate of mine and I'm glad he's doing so well, but we're just going to make sure that he doesn't do so well against us."

England have suffered a few major setbacks in the past week, with captain Owen Farrell set to miss the whole Six Nations, while Courtney Lawes (head) and Joe Marler (Covid) are doubts to face Scotland.

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