Billy Twelvetrees ready for ‘huge mental challenge’ when England take on Ireland

Ireland begin a short training camp in Galway today, with England firmly in their sights and vengeance in their minds 12 days out from an RBS 6 Nations clash in Dublin that head coach Joe Schmidt is already billing as monumental.

The showdown with the Auld Enemy is never short on hyperbole but there is an added air of expectation this time for a number of reasons, not least Ireland’s narrow defeat at Twickenham a year ago.

That was the only loss inflicted on Schmidt’s side in 2014 and the men in green have since gone on a nine-match unbeaten run that has included a championship-clinching victory over France in Paris, November Test wins over South Africa and Australia and a unbeaten start to the 2015 Six Nations after getting past Italy and the French in the last two weeks.

Stuart Lancaster’s England, however, also beat Ireland in Dublin two years ago in a tight encounter that saw both Simon Zebo and Johnny Sexton injured early on and the English eke out a 12-6 win.

Last year’s 13-10 win made it three Six Nations defeats in-a-row for Ireland and English centre Billy Twelvetrees intimated after his side’s 47-17 win over Italy on Saturday that the 2013 road win would give the visitors belief they could overcome the tournament favourites again at the Aviva Stadium.

“I think it’s going to be an huge mental challenge for us to go away to Dublin and put a performance in,” said Twelvetrees, who was an early replacement off the bench for a concussed Mike Brown at Twickenham on Saturday. “They’ve got a huge pack, a good set-piece and they play with a lot of tempo. So it’s a difficult place to gobut two years ago we went over there and got a result.”

After four straight defeats to New Zealand last summer and into the autumn followed immediately by a 31-28 loss to the Springboks in November, Lancaster’s side has been slowly regaining momentum with young Bath fly-half George Ford’s creativity preferred to his Saracens rival Owen Farrell before Christmas as England got back to winning ways against Samoa and Australia.

Ford, 22 next month, has continued at No.10 into the Six Nations with Farrell now out injured and the swagger is returning thanks to an epic victory over Wales in Cardiff.

Despite a plethora of injuries, Lancaster seems to have started solving some long standing backline issues with Conor Murray’s Lions rival Ben Youngs forging a blossoming half-back partnership with Ford, who is showing he is no one-trick pony, leading the championship with 26 points and for 24 kicks in play as well as being out in front amongst fly-halves for his 24 carries in two games.

If there is question mark it is Ford’s goal-kicking. Despite his points tally the England fly-half has missed three of his 13 attempts in two games, producing a percentage success rate of 76.92.

Yet with Ford’s clubmate and centre Jonathan Joseph leading this year’s Six Nations for his nine defenders beaten and three tries, two of them against Italy, it is form that has certainly caught the attention of Schmidt.

“I think Ford has played really, really well,” the Ireland boss said. “I thought he defended well in Wales. He’s not the biggest man but he’s courageous and very correct in his defensive technique.

“His kicking game is bang on and he’s a very astute young player. I think the footwork that Joseph has and (Bath wing Anthony) Watson, they’re very difficult to contain. I’d throw some of the guys who’ve been around a bit longer like Jonny May into that bracket as well.”

Throw in inside centre Luther Burrell, tournament joint leader for offloads with five so far and there is plenty to occupy the Irish management’s thoughts, although Schmidt detects more than just individual talents at play in a side led by Chris Robshaw that won against the odds in Cardiff in the opening game.

Schmidt is always happy to talk up the opposition and reticent to laud his own players too greatly but this England side is looking to be coming into some form at the right time after a shaky 2014, even if they are not quite the finished article the London media is portraying them as with a World Cup on home soil looming.

It is another example of the hype being generated a dozen days out but beneath it all there is a fascinating showdown about to unravel.