Kearney wary of early assault

Ireland may have the experience to close out a Triple Crown game at Twickenham today but Rob Kearney has warned against giving a youthful England side too much of a head start in their Six Nations showdown.

After opening victories over Scotland and Wales this month, Joe Schmidt’s side have the chance to grab their first piece of silverware since the 2009 Grand Slam with a win over a relatively inexperienced home side with an average age of 25.3.

While accepting that Ireland’s starting XV boasting an average age of 29.5 and 724 caps compared to England’s 302 gives them more experience of getting over the line in tight matches, full-back Kearney warned against underestimating youthful vigour.