‘We got bullied a little bit’ – Rory Best
Ireland captain Rory Best during a press conference at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin.
Ireland captain Rory Best is determined not to repeat the mistakes from their previous clash with England when the teams go head-to-head later on Saturday.
Joe Schmidt’s men were outgunned in the Six Nations encounter in February, which saw the Red Rose go away from Dublin with a 32-20 triumph.
It was the start of a poor campaign for the 2018 Grand Slam winners, who struggled to defeat Scotland and Italy before going down to Wales.
That raised doubts over their World Cup prospects, but Best is confident that they have improved and will be able to handle the hosts’ physicality.
“There’s no point in hiding from the fact that they came to Dublin and right from the first exchanges they sort of dominated areas where we take a lot of pride in how good we are,” he told reporters. “We got bullied a little bit. That’s probably the big area for us to be better.
“Obviously the circumstances will be slightly different – a World Cup warm-up versus the first game of the Six Nations.
Elliot Daly follows up his perfectly weighted kick to score brilliantly for @EnglandRugby!#GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/LAObJBVCcD
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) February 2, 2019
“For us, it’s about making sure those opening exchanges don’t get away from us as they did in two of the Six Nations games (against England and Wales). The result ended up getting away from us as well.
“There’s no point in trying to bluff anyone, we’re not the biggest team in the world but I do think this is one of the smartest rugby teams I’ve played in, so it would be foolish not to play to your strengths.”
The match is set to be played in alien conditions for the majority of the players on the field, with temperatures set to rise above 30°C, but Best is confident in their preparation.
He added: “England at Twickenham is a tough ask but at the same time you see a lot about players in these circumstances, and I believe it’s going to be quite hot.
“But we’ve been used to it in Portugal for the last few days, so it is what it is. You can look at it and be afraid of it or look on it as a challenge – this is a squad that try to get the most out of every opportunity.
“It’s going to be a big one. There’s no doubt over their two games (to date), England are in a good place – naming their 31 very early compared to everyone else has given them that opportunity to be together and ready to play.”