Haskell: Red Rose braced for the backlash

JAMES HASKELL believes Saturday’s clash with Ireland is the biggest game that any of the England side will have played in and is wary of a backlash from their hosts after their controversial defeat in Wales.

The flanker was outstanding as Martin Johnson’s side scraped past Scotland by six points on Sunday to ensure England stayed on course for their first Grand Slam since 2003.

The 2003 triumph was sealed thanks to a comprehensive 42-6 victory in Dublin, and eight months later England were crowned world champions, beating Australia in Sydney.

The dream is that the team Johnson now manages emulates the one he captained, but if that is to happen, then victory in Dublin is a must.

And with the three surviving members of 2003 unlikely to start in the Aviva Stadium — Jonny Wilkinson and Steve Thompson will be on the bench, while Mike Tindall is struggling to shake off an ankle knock — the Stade Francais forward insists this weekend’s clash is the biggest that any of England’s side will have faced.

“We are not using the words ‘Grand Slam’, as it is now a final against Ireland,” said Haskell, who has taken full advantage of the injuries suffered by first-choice flankers Lewis Moody and Tom Croft.

“It is the biggest game that any of us are going to play in and it’s a test of this team, a test of our mettle; it’s about standing up and being counted.

“We are proud to be in this position, and we are all enjoying our rugby at the moment, and playing the game with a massive smile on our faces.

“And I remember watching that game in Dublin in 2003 — I think I was at school, or watching it at a relative’s house.

“I remember it vividly — I remember Johnno had an amazing game and smashing up everyone.

“But that was eight years ago, and there has been a lot of water under the bridge. Ireland came to Twickenham and made life very difficult for us (last year, when they won 20-16). We need to rebuild for this massive occasion.”

Yet if Haskell feels England need to rebuild having won four from four, then how must Declan Kidney be feeling after this weekend’s events? The table shows Ireland down in fourth, but it would have been so different but for Mike Phillips’ hugely controversial try for Wales at the Millennium Stadium.

The England squad admitted to watching the incident with mounting disbelief, grateful only that they were not on the receiving end of such a poor call from referee Jonathan Kaplan.

Ultimately, though, Haskell is well aware that it will only serve to add as an extra motivating factor for an Irish side that he believes has flattered to deceive in recent times, despite their Grand Slam success of 2009.

He added: “Ireland are — and have been for some time — a quality side who have fallen short on key occasions for one reason or another.

“They are a quality outfit and we know they will be bitter after that loss against Wales. I’m sure the controversial nature of the try will rankle. Ireland have a lot of ball players and a lot of dangerous players around the field.

“They have a very powerful back row who like to compete really hard and carry the ball very strongly.

“Seán O’Brien has been great for Leinster this year, we have (former Leinster boss) Michael Cheika at Stade Francais so he is someone we have talked about for a while. He often breaks though the first tackle and carries the ball very strongly. We have to make sure our defence is on the money and we are up in their face. And their centres are very dangerous — we know that Brian O’Driscoll can score a try out of anything.

“It is about being conscious of what they can bring, but also getting stuff right about our game.

“And we have just got to go out there and get our game right and give the best account of ourselves. Now we have to make sure we fight as if it is a final, because that is what it is.”