A lot of the senior players weren't in form up to now and Andy Farrell, I won't say rotation, but he has responded to what has happened in front of him. We saw the likes of (Robert) Baloucoune, (Cormac) Izuchukwu and Edwin Edogbo, who came off the bench and all made an impact against Italy.
It's worth noting that this is the first time ever that you play three Six Nations games in a row, in what is a change to the format. It hasn't helped either that we've had England and France, two of the favourites for the tournament, away from home.
I think that has added to the changes but I also think it has been in response to the way players have played. Jack Crowley comes back in with Jamison Gibson-Park, who was dropped for the game against Italy, and I also think some of the selections, the likes of Josh van der Flier in the back row is a response to the back row England have picked.
Tom Curry, Ben Earl and Henry Pollock all start. They are dynamic, are very good on the ground, and have loads of pace.
The changes are also in relation to the opposition we're playing but also with form taken into account.
What's happened over the last two years around Jack Crowley and Sam Prendergast has not helped either player. Jack Crowley had been handed the mantle when Johnny Sexton retired after the World Cup and had a brilliant first year in 2024, winning the Six Nations.
Sam, if you like, was promoted with very little experience for Leinster. Andy Farrell sees a huge amount in him and there is; he is an outstanding player. But he's still 22 years of age and he's still finding his feet and I have to say the toxic issues surrounding both of them hasn't helped either of them.
There is no doubt about that. Sam's confidence was at an all-time low in the game against Italy but Jack Crowley did have a massive impact when he came on last week. He now has been handed the keys and he has to take the opportunity.
England seem to have a mental block about going to Murrayfield. They were on a run of 12 wins in a row and up to third in the world rankings. I won't say Scotland caught them cold because England are predictable in the way they play. They have a massive reliance on their kicking game, it's all about gaining territory and getting into the opposition 22, getting a foothold there.
But Scotland destroyed their kicking game and their back three won that key aerial battle that you hear so much about now. They ran from deep which England weren't expecting and they literally tore that England blueprint apart. I think Andy Farrell would have done well to give Gregor Townsend a ring during the week but not that he needs that, but there are issues there that Ireland can chase.
The bottom line is Ireland have to perform and it's not going to be easy in Twickenham. The team that England have selected with Ollie Lawrence in midfield and Tommy Freeman back on the wing where he is more comfortable also sees changes in the back row. Tom Curry, for me along with Tadhg Beirne, were the two top players on the Lions series and he's been on the bench for every game so far. He's back into the England back row now and I think that's a significant change from England's point of view.
I think England are still favourites and will want a massive reaction to last week's defeat. They have a lot to play for; Henry Pollack gets his first start and he is a crowd favourite for all sorts of reasons. Maro Itoje is getting his 100th cap and has had a difficult time after the recent passing of his mother.
England are favourites but Ireland will look to create the kind of mayhem that Scotland did in the first 20 minutes. The other intangible that is changing games now are yellow cards. You have yellow cards in every game now and red cards and England had to play for 30 minutes with 14 men against Scotland and the Scots seized their moment during that.
Right now, despite what happened last week for England, I would have them as marginal favourites to win this game.
Donal Lenihan was speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and email us at sportpodcasts@rte.ie
