Patience may be Ireland's greatest virtue

No disrespect to the 1993 and '94 vintage - in fact it made their wins all the more commendable - but if Ireland repeat the trick today this won't be an ambush. This is a battle on a far more level playing field.

Even the lines in the sand are similar; each side coming off one win in a putative Triple Crown decider. The Irish pack is almost as well peppered with Lions as England's pack is, each is a well-oiled professional outfit with certain standards now taken as read: defence, setpieces, durability over 80 minutes.

On top of which, Irish rugby has every bit as much to crow about this season after Ulster's European Cup success allied to England's self-destructive absence from Europe. Which is not to say Ireland will necessarily win.

England are still the most innately professional outfit of the four home nations. They arrived on Tuesday and have looked the part. Slick and error-free in training, composed and settled off the pitch. They've absorbed the hype and will be ready for the 4.00 p.m. shock factor after being killed with kindness all week.

True, seven of them have never played at Lansdowne Road before but then again 10 of them never had two years ago and they won by 40. They may not be quite as clinical as the vintage of Rob Andrew, Will Carling and co, but they've a ruthless hard streak running through the team personified by the likes of Martin Johnson, Tim Rodber, Lawrence Dallaglio, Neil Back and Jeremy Guscott.

These guys are winners, as evidenced by four Triple Crowns in a row, and that entitles them to be favourites. That makes them arrogant to a degree, as they need to be, but without being blase about it.

"The statistics are for historians. You want to win every game and every game is different," as Guscott, the prince of centres, said.

He also reckoned this was potentially the best Irish side in a decade and, sadly, forewarned is forearmed. Ireland in Lansdowne will command a better 80-minute performance from the English than Scotland in Twickenham did. "I don't think we'll produce two bad performances in a row," Lawrence Dallaglio said with smiling, steely-eyed intent on Tuesday.

How they go about it will be intriguing. Total rugby and the bigger (World Cup) picture, or a one-off, more structured performance? The recall of Paul Grayson points to the latter, and unconvincing and all as the last hour was against Scotland, it's worth recalling that England's first quarter was still good enough to win them the game.

That first quarter underlined again how potent their pack, and especially their back five, are when on the front foot. Rodber's try was all about the forwards' aggressive fringe running. Dan Luger's try was about the footballing brilliance of the backrow - all three of them giving more than a passable imitations of a scrum-half (Hill), an out-half (Dallaglio) and an outside centre (Back).

But they were only on the front foot for that recycled ruck because Jonny Wilkinson beat John Leslie in midfield. So it stands to reason that Ireland are going to have to produce one of their top drawer, collective tackling efforts.

For Ireland to impose themselves will probably require something similarly structured, with unremitting patience. There should be plenty of ammunition for Conor McGuinness and David Humphreys. The front-row laid the foundations in Wembley and have the wherewithal to do so again.

At worst, the scrums should come out even. There's even a chance that Ireland could make them tweak decisively for Victor Costello to rumble past Back. If he and the runners can target Grayson or take out Wilkinson, then the set-piece/ruck/kick-it-in-behind-them formula will give Ireland plenty of territorial footholds.

Humphreys's aerial bombardments have been pretty much on the money this season, and he's on top of his game. Indeed, he was one of the few to keep his form last weekend while, co-incidentally or not, many of his Irish team-mates were on losing sides. This is another dig-deep day, but the red rose ought to inspire it.

It's scary how good Humphreys could become, and indeed the team. He now looks the man to give the side control, and sprinkle it with a moment of brilliance. At some point in the second-half, it could come down to that, or one mistake. So for all that, patience may be the game's outstanding virtue.

Trusting an Irish weather forecast is a precarious business, but the predicted mixed afternoon points further to a good old, riproaring Test match, the complete antidote to the Super 12s that have now kicked off. Taking the three-pointers rather than gambling on the seven-pointers ought to be generally the preferred option.

It could simply come down to which team has marginally the more inspired performances. At out-half and full back, Ireland seems to have players in superior form, and the suspicion lurks that England may be a relatively ordinary side, outstanding find though Wilkinson is and despite their classy back five.

There are also a few encouraging omens for home supporters. None of England's 21 Triple Crowns have come in a year ending in `9' and as with '93, it's again six years since Ireland's last home win over England.

Then the tone was set in the first 10 minutes (and literally from the kick-off 12 months later in Twickenham). Now, as then, the spirit is willing. This Irish team may even want it more for their coach and for each other than England do. But for that and the home advantage to come into play, then Ireland will need to be competitive on the pitch and on the scoreboard come the last 15 to 20 minutes.

Ireland have no right to expect a win, but yet could well be enjoying one come 5.30 or thereabouts. In any event, you sense nobody will be leaving early.