THE WIN OVER Wales was brilliant. There were huge positives from the first half.
The Welsh didn’t exactly turn up, to a great degree, for the opening 40 minutes. When they were asked to defend, they didn’t and we did. There more than 200 tackles made by the Irish players – it was unbelievable but they may have to make even more against England.
They were down to 14 men for 20 minutes of the second half and an enormous effort was required. You’d almost get as much out of that defence than the attacking play at the start.
There are so many guys to pick out. Our two wingers [Simon Zebo and Craig Gilroy] on debut and that amazing flick from Zebo.
Cian Healy’s workrate was immense and, once again, Rory Best was a stalwart.
Then you had Brian O’Driscoll stepping up to the plate again. There has been a lot of talk about his future but Brian will let us know when he starts to dip in form.
They may have taken the captaincy away but he was a leader in every other form.
English test
It is going to be hard, it always is when you come across a team in-form and playing with confidence.
We should not delude ourselves, this England team is nowhere near the great English sides from 2000 to 2003 but Stuart Lancaster is building a solid team.
In recent years, English teams had a soft underbelly that you could attack but I don’t think that is the case this time.
80 minutes of undiluted commitment will be needed, with an unbelievable defensive effort. It is the minimum requirement to win this week.
A dynamic Sean O’Brien is tackled by Toby Faletau and Sam Warburton. (©INPHO/Dan Sheridan)
That defensive performance against Wales, that’s the standard you’ve set; your line. You can’t go lower than that.
You can build a championship challenge on a good defence.
Midfield battle
If we had 15 players for that second-half in Wales, bar one score [Alex Cuthbert's try] that was an individual error, they wouldn’t have got through.
Gordon D’Arcy is totally rejuvenated and has an almost telepathic link with O’Driscoll. Unfortunately, that’s what Keith Earls stepped into and that’s what he has to live up to.
Billy Twelvetrees came in for England, against Scotland, and took his chance. Still, I think they should go with Tuilagi. If you remember, he’s had quite an impact against Ireland in the past.
His physicality and ball-handling skills make him a formidable opponent.
As for featuring Dylan Hartley, it is definitely something England will look at but I don’t think it will be too pivotal. Owen Farrell is the real deal and we’ll be hearing about him for many years to come.
Bodies on the line
Going back to the standard that is required, you look at Sean O’Brien and what he managed to do in Cardiff.
He made 23 tackles and was also the highest in terms of ball carries. Those stats are unbelievable. Double figures for tackles is a good result but anything around 20 is outstanding.
The whole front five were the same, and the second rows in particular.
There’s a sense that every single person doesn’t want to be the one that let’s the team down.
You’ve got to believe that we can do it. If you can’t get up for the English, you shouldn’t be out there.
With both sides going out with guns blazing, and with O’Driscoll playing how he is, we can do it.
Shane Byrne, pictured here with Girvan Dempsey and Malcolm O’Kelly, will captain an Irish Legends side against England at Donnybrook from 7:30pm on Saturday. (©INPHO/James Crombie)
