Ireland ready for the next level, says Dardis

One imagines Nigel Carolan and the rest of his U20s management team have spent many an hour poring over footage of England’s opening Six Nations loss to Wales in Colwyn Bay this last two weeks.

Few expected the news from Eirias Park that evening; England, reigning world champions and perennial front-runners in the Six Nations, downed by a respected but far from fearsome Welsh outfit in the opening round.

England now pitch up to Donnybrook tonight on the back of a nine-try punishment beating of Italy, but their hosts have shown, in defeats of the Azzurri and France, that they are unlikely to stand on such ceremony.