England bring best out of Ireland

MAYBE Declan Kidney was on to something when he agreed to face England in Ireland’s final warm-up before the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

It took the sight of a red rose on a white shirt to bring out a convincing performance from his team and with the prospect of Martin Johnson’s team returning to Dublin on August 27, the Ireland head coach will require a similar boost before heading south to New Zealand for a Group C opener against the USA on September 11.

The summer will be a lot more palatable for the comprehensive 24-8 defeat of the Grand Slam-chasing English at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday as Ireland finally produced the form they had been promising since the autumn and only hinting at in flashes during the previous four Six Nations matches.