Ireland have stronger starting team than England, says Keith Wood

Keith Wood believes Ireland are a better team than England, but fears that edge may not be apparent as soon as this Sunday.

The former Ireland captain was yesterday unveiled as a member of TV3’s punditry panel for this year’s Rugby World Cup. He regards this Sunday’s meeting in Ballsbridge as too close to call, but spoke with greater certainty of Ireland’s long-term possibilities.

“Ireland have a better team. Fully fit, we’re a better team. By that I don’t mean having our best 15 on the field from the start, it’s having players fully up to match fitness and match sharpness. We’re the better team and, in that instance I’d say, yes, we would be favourites.

“But because a lot of the guys are only coming back from injury and off a period of time out, people will look at the team sheet and say, ‘great, Sean O’Brien is back’, but we want him back when he’s in his pomp.”

Wood believes Ireland can and will “play a little bit more” when the likes of O’Brien and Jonathan Sexton fully hit their straps and feels it is difficult to criticise the team when they are winning, even if it hasn’t been the “sexiest” of rugby thus far.

That analysis was echoed by Neil Back, the English 2003 World Cup winner, who will team up with Wood and Peter Stringer — whom he famously deprived of the ball and a potential late try in the 2002 Heineken Cup final — as an analyst for the Irish station.

Since Wood and Back were speaking at the launch of World Cup coverage, it was inevitable Sunday’s Six Nations showdown would be framed in the context of the global event later this year.

“Let’s face it, Ireland are more settled than England in terms of their team,” said Back. “It took them a year and a half to get Joe’s message over, and what he has developed is a more stable team with greater depth so they are definitely a team that can win (the World Cup).

“Not everyone can win a World Cup, but they can definitely go and win it. England as well. Sunday will be an indication of where both teams are ahead of the World Cup and neither England or Ireland are afraid to win ugly. They’re not afraid to build pressure through the scoreboard: three, six, nine. Both teams will create pressure in the opposition’s third and with ball in hand they are incredibly dangerous. England, with (Luther) Burrell and (Jonathan) Joseph coming in to their midfield.

“They didn’t have that attacking threat in the autumn, but now they’ve got it, although they are relatively inexperienced and our 10 (George Ford) has only got eight caps. We are relatively inexperienced in places and Sunday is all about dealing with pressure situations.”

Maybe so, but England have already bagged a win from their visit to the Cardiff cauldron on opening night, despite finding themselves 10-0 down after the early exchanges and with a large number of potential players missing due to injury.

“It’s phenomenal,” said Wood of that win. “England have a great capacity to believe they’re better than they are when they’re on the way up. I get slagged off for calling them arrogant, (but) I don’t use that as a slur.

“I think it’s very impressive that they have that level of confidence, even if they don’t have a team on paper that looks like world-beaters. They play as a team that knows how to build a score and to eke out a win, they do that all the time.”