The sight of the battleship England hoving into view, all guns blazing and with plenty of ammunition still left to unleash, might remind Irish supporters of when the All Blacks landed in Chicago last November.

Spurs scout and former Cork City player Brian Carey dreams of unearthing the next Jamie Vardy, a player he admired at non-league level for his blistering pace, writes Liam Mackey.

The fascinating aspect of England’s long unbeaten run is the mental fortitude they can now call on at critical moments, writes Ronan O’Gara.

This game is a mixture of talent, bravery and luck and maybe Willie Mullins’ has just turned at the right time, writes Anthony Daly.

From The Angelus to our relationship with the cupla focail, we are a unique nation, writes Damian Corless.

Niamh Briggs, by her own admission, is ultra-competitive and a disastrous spectator — so this will really test her limits.

Ireland U20 coach Nigel Carolan insists his side wouldn’t lack for motivation against Grand Slam- chasing England at Donnybrook this evening (6pm).

It is a mark of just how far England have come under Eddie Jones that when the topic of facing off against New Zealand was put to him yesterday, the Australian retorted with a wry smile and bags of confidence.

Djakadam can make it third time lucky in this afternoon’s Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup, which is the feature on the final day of what, until yesterday, had been a very difficult meeting for punters.

It is precisely because they understand this is a brilliant Dublin team Kerry people are so exercised, writes Paul Rouse.

The Kingdom’s incredible winning streak over 90 years ago was all the more remarkable given the political tensions with the squad, writes Richard McElligott.

England may be chasing immortality, but David Wallace believes Ireland will be the hungrier team when the pair meet on Saturday.

Jose Mourinho has accused Paul Pogba’s critics of being blinded by envy as the Manchester United manager launched a staunch defence of the world’s most expensive player.

It is probably the most celebrated tackle in Irish football history, the crunching challenge on Marc Overmars which dumped the Arsenal man on the turf, seemed to rattle the whole Dutch team and certainly set the tone for a battling performance which would eventually see a 10-man Ireland beat the Netherlands 1-0 in a crucial World Cup qualifier at Lansdowne Road in 2001.