Ireland coach Joe Schmidt impressed by England midfield

Ireland coach Joe Schmidt believes England's midfield could provide a platform for World Cup success for the hosts.

Schmidt, whose side take on England in their final World Cup warm-up game at Twickenham on Saturday, reckons Stuart Lancaster has a "nice balance" to his midfield options in his 31-man squad for the tournament.

Jonathan Joseph is hoping to forge a formidable centre partnership with Brad Barritt for England, while Owen Farrell and George Ford are battling it out for the starting fly-half berth.

Schmidt also feels that Lancaster has completed his squad well by including Sam Burgess and Henry Slade as back-up options.

"Jonathan Joseph was saying in the week that they will be a really good combination because Barritt's the direct strongman and he'll use footwork and acceleration," said Schmidt.

"I think if you slotted Sam Burgess in there you could say he's the direct powerhouse and that Joseph still has the footwork.

"Where Joseph's got the footwork, I think Slade's got class, his ability to distribute. He's still got a good change-up to carry but he's got good kicking skills as well, so they can vary up their midfield as they need to.

"They've put together some really nice plays, particularly from set-piece.

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"Then you throw in a guy like Alex Goode who has got so many skills, where he put in the little cross-kick for Jonny May. So I really do think it's a nice balance for them.

"They've got enough guys who are ball-players and they've got enough guys who can get you over the gain-line.

"Sometimes if it's all ball-players and there's just a wall in front of you, you play away and go nowhere. So sometimes you just need someone who will win you a collision and put you back on the front foot.

"I think they've got a really good mix of that. I'm just happy they are not in our pool."

Watch England v Ireland live on Sky Sports 1 from 2pm on Saturday.