Ready to go: Ireland and England
Related links
Teams
Also see
Having both picked up victories in Round One, the clash between Ireland and England is being viewed as a premature Six Nations title decider.
Addressing Sunday's match in Dublin as a sign for who will take him the trophy next month is a tad pre-emptive, yet England and Ireland both did enough on the opening weekend to suggest they possess championship material.
Starting with Ireland, we will be lucky if we witness as dominant an opening quarter such as the one Declan Kidney's side produced against Wales in Cardiff, from any team again in this Six Nations. Ireland were as brilliant as Wales were awful - with better execution, planning and power at the breakdown, not to mention a moment of magic from Brian O'Driscoll to add to his already vast collection.
That clinical edge that Ireland showed in Cardiff has only been witnessed in flashes over previous years - the win over Australia at the Rugby World Cup, last November against Argentina - since Ireland captured the Grand Slam in 2009.
Their second half however was a different matter. Ireland's well of possession dried up following O'Driscoll's try, forcing them into a defensive workout that by the end left their tackle count at 200 - with Cian Healy and Mike McCarthy making 21 and 20 respectively - along with the concession of three tries.
Arguably the contest was already over at 3-30, but Ireland's defensive lapses at one stage let concern grow as to whether they could hold on. In many ways it was a timely reminder that Ireland are far from perfect - enough to keep them humble and realistic before facing the "arrogant" English on Sunday.
Except England are not so arrogant anymore. Saturday's victory over Scotland was convincing and yet the immediate statement from Stuart Lancaster was that England could do better.
He is not wrong - four tries, a scrum and lineout with success rates over 83% and an impressive number of completed passes (221) are all positive signs - but more points were left out on the field.
Debate has been fierce in the build-up to Sunday's fixture about who should make up England's centre pairing and whilst a combination of Billy Twelvetrees and Manu Tuilagi may represent the future, the threat posed by Ireland in midfield is enough to make Lancaster think again and keep Brad Barritt.
The possibility of a Grand Slam in 2013 appears minimal given the proximity of the competition, but by the end of Sunday one more candidate will be snuffed out. We are set for a thriller.
Ones to watch:
For Ireland: The fact that Brian O'Driscoll still holds so much sway and influence aged 34 and after 127 caps is a testament to his talent. O'Driscoll offered a reminder of this against Wales and will be closely marked by England this weekend. His speed has gradually been replaced by power around the fringes - a test for any tired tacklers late in the game. Elsewhere, Donnacha Ryan will be charged with attempting to disrupt England's efficient lineout and prevent an easy platform for Ben Youngs and Owen Farrell.
For England Previous trips to Dublin have shown that if points are on offer, England cannot afford to let them slip. That focuses attention on Owen Farrell - the Saracens fly-half whose kicking form of late has been exceptional. Still only 20, Sunday is another test of Farrell's maturity and composure, although so far he has answered all the questions thrown at him. His midfield partner Billy Twelvetrees will also be under similar scrutiny after a promising debut, because he offers qualities at inside centre that England have lacked for some time - a markedly different player from when England last played a Six Nations match in Dublin and employed the battering ram that is Matt Banahan.
Head-to-head: A positive start for Jamie Heaslip to open his account as Ireland's permanent captain will have no doubt settled some nerves and silenced some doubters. Against England however, Heaslip will need to bring and give everything he has. His opposite man will be someone to whom the number eight shirt is fairly unfamiliar, Tom Wood. In outstanding form since his return from injury at the beginning of the season, Wood was one of England's top performers against New Zealand and Scotland. Despite few starts at number eight, Wood has the power and ability to handle the positional switch.
Recent results:
2012: England won 30-9 at Twickenham
2011: England won 20-9 in Dublin
2011: Ireland won 24-8 in Dublin
2010: Ireland won 20-16 at Twickenham
2009:Ireland won 14-13 in Dublin
2008: England won 33-10 at Twickenham
2007: Ireland won 43-13 in Dublin
2006: Ireland won 28-24 at Twickenham
2005: Ireland won 19-13 in Dublin
2004: Ireland won 19-13 at Twickenham
2003: England won 42-6 in Dublin
Prediction: This one is close. Ireland's home record against England - 2011's Rugby World Cup warm-up result aside - is exceptional over the last decade. The gaps between the two sides when it comes to the scrums, lineouts and breakdown are minimal, leaving it down to a missed kick from either Sexton or Farrell to separate them. Only a moment of magic will settle this and despite England's bright start under Stuart Lancaster, Ireland's home advantage could be the difference. Ireland by 5.
The teams:
Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Craig Gilroy, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip (c), 7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Donnacha Ryan, 4 Mike McCarthy , 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Declan Fitzpatrick, 19 Donncha O'Callaghan, 20 Chris Henry, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ronan O'Gara, 23 Keith Earls.
England: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Brad Barritt, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Mike Brown, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Tom Wood, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 James Haskell, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements: 16 Dylan Hartley, 17 David Wilson, 18 Mako Vunipola, 19 Courtney Lawes, 20 Thomas Waldrom, 21 Danny Care, 22 Toby Flood, 23 Manu Tuilagi.
Date: Sunday, 10 February
Venue: Aviva Stadium
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Jérôme Garces (France)
Assistant referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Pascal Gauzere (France)
Television match official: Iain Ramage (Scotland)
by Ben Coles
@bencoles_
Comments
LondonWasp says...
@sextons on fire
"Revenge to be exacted on Sunday for 800 years of crimes against humanity!!! :D
BLOW THOSE FILTHY ENGERLISH AWAY"
bringing history into this is a bit silly isn't it? thats like saying we have to beat germany at football because of the World Wars...its both irrelevant, imature and a bit silly
Posted 13:31 08th February 2013
makemehappy says...
Main issue is whether Ireland can cope with the English scrum. Not much evidence of that so far!
Posted 13:11 08th February 2013
highschool says...
mmm I think everyone is getting this one wrong. England are a hugh team and pound for pound out gun Ireland by far. The Irish scrum, linelout and breakdown are all going to be under hugh pressure and along the backs England could trample over Irelands small back line. I'm Irish and I am praying I'm wrong and we play "one of those games" like a pack of rabid dogs but I can see England overpowering us and winning 8pts +. They have all the resources, money, numbers etc. Pray that I'm wrong!
Posted 13:06 08th February 2013
zambokke says...
If this game is really tight with 20 minutes to go, England's bench is packed with explosive power. The England back three do not excite me as much as England fans and I think that they could be unpicked defensively - they would be better off with 2 outright wingers; a natural 11. At centre, does Twelvetrees have the defensive skill at this level - he definitely has the attacking skills? Look what BOD did to Wales.The England pack looks very good and also mobile - they need to get to the breakdown and put pressure on (legally) - in the first half against Wales, Ireland recycled the ball beautifully - England cannot allow this. I think that if it is close after 50 or 60 minutes, I'd put my money on England's explosive bench to win the game for them. Even though I've had good experiences with both sets of fans, I have to go for England by 8 - 13.
Posted 12:58 08th February 2013
heart_of_oak says...
LondonWasp - if Guscott thinks Ireland will win, then England probably will.
Having said that, I think we're not quite ready yet in certain key positions whereas I think the Irish are. BoD looks to be in the form of his life so we have to have Barritt in to mark him. Manu isn't really a 12 whereas Twelvetrees is. So the 12Trees Barritt combination makes sense - just against this opposition.
Goode shouldn't be FB. Brown should. Varndell should be where Brown is. Burns is, for me, a more creative FH than Farrell but Farrell hasn't done much wrong so far. I'm not convinced by old handbags Ashton either, especially when playing away from home. I'm not sure how many games Foden plays on the wing - provided he frequently plays there, I'd have had Foden on the wing. But as I say, I don't like playing people out of position so if that rules Foden out of a wing position, I'd have gone for Wade with Ashton moving to the bench.
It's the scrum I'm more worried about now. We should not be playing players out of position when we have great specialists in those positions. Wood should stay at 6 and Billy Vunipola, not Waldrom, should be in at number 8. What message does it send to B Vunipola if we'd rather play Wood out of position that try Vunipola at number 8 ?
So in an ideal world, my 15 would have been :
Brown
Foden / Wade
Barritt
12trees
Varndell
Farrell (Burns when he recovers)
Care (I think he's more effective than Youngs)
Vunipola (Morgan when he recovers)
Robshaw (c)
Wood
Parling
Launchberry
Cole
Youngs
Marler
I definitely want to see Courtney come on at some stage of the game.
Posted 12:57 08th February 2013
ArmchairGeneral says...
Tuilagi on bench! Barrett 13. Hmm. That would have been my third option after: 1) Manu 13, 36 at 12. 2) Manu 13, BB 12. However a tired Ireland with Manu on fresh... For BB... I just hope it works. This seems cautious but we will see...
Posted 12:43 08th February 2013
sextons_on_fire says...
Revenge to be exacted on Sunday for 800 years of crimes against humanity!!! :D
BLOW THOSE FILTHY ENGERLISH AWAY
Posted 12:28 08th February 2013
carpelone says...
Ireland are masters of the breakdown from a defensive point of view. You may like it or not, but you always struggle to get quick balls against them (maybe, with the green jersey it is more difficult to pick players in offside not rolling away).
The crucial point would be how Garces (one of the most inept referees of the IRB lot) will officiate the breakdown. Could go either way, but I would not be surprised if Ireland implode and make way to England.
Posted 12:18 08th February 2013
welshmac says...
Promises to be a fabulous game. Hope it doesn't descend into a scrum farce like last year.
Posted 12:15 08th February 2013
melkdave says...
This match really is to close to call with any conviction,alot is going to depend on who gets an edge in the backrow i feel.If England can stop SOB and Co gaining yards with their power running,it will cut down on Irelands quick ball ,and hamper how they like to play.In fact id go so far to say its vital for an England victory Frustrate Ireland and they do give away alot of penalties ,and that could be the differance come the final whistle Scrum/ lineout ect i see as pretty even overall. so 1st up tackling also vital,and here England just may have the tiniest of edges ,and have an offloading diemension which also may be vital.Anyway hoping England by 3-5 points as iam english afrer all lol
Posted 12:05 08th February 2013
Top_Kat says...
Tis a tight one to be sure to be sure!
Posted 11:48 08th February 2013
stag says...
Cannot wait for this - potential to be a classic. Ireland have a stronger starting 15 but England have a better 23. Hopefully their front row depth will not be the difference. Asking Mike Ross to go 80 against Marler then Vunipola is a mammoth task. Also think that Lancaster has bottled it by retaining centres from last week. Drico & D'Arcy will sleep easier now that Tuilagi's not starting. The sight of Chris Ashton on an Irish pitch is almost enough motivation itself for us to maintain our home 6N record. Haskell's arrogant mug & the presence of one direction reject owen farrell will ensure there's enough hatred in Irish bones to avoid defeat at all costs. C'mon Ireland!
Posted 11:38 08th February 2013
paddy91317 says...
Cant wait....
Posted 11:33 08th February 2013
LondonWasp says...
it will be tough. not sure who will win.
however both Guscott and Matt Dawson think Ireland will win...
Posted 11:29 08th February 2013