ENGLAND COACH Stuart Lancaster is preparing for a major challenge to their Six Nations hopes in Dublin on Sunday.
Lancaster is determined to produce a better performance that when the countries last met at Lansdowne Road two years ago.
England were looking to complete the Grand Slam in 2011, but instead came up against a ferocious Irish side that ran out 24-6 winners.
While there are likely to be only five survivors from England’s starting XV on that disappointing afternoon, Lancaster is sure England have the quality to match Ireland.
“This is a completely different team going to Dublin from 2011, with a completely different mentality,” he told reporters. “That said, playing the Irish in Dublin is a unique challenge. We’ve got to be able to deal with the emotion of the occasion and still think clearly, making good, accurate decisions.
“That will be the true test of our maturity. It’s a great challenge for us. Experiences like Johannesburg have definitely made us stronger. In all three of the Tests in South Africa the players learned some lessons about what it takes to get there – we all did.
“Mentally, we’ve got to be in the right place but that comes from the confidence we build in training.”
England name their team on Thursday, with the centre partnership once again the source of greatest discussion following Manu Tuilagi’s return to fitness after four weeks out with an ankle injury.
