Ireland quickly refocus for Twickenham tussle

The strength of the England side awaiting Ireland this Saturday at Twickenham was enough to quickly get any minds wandering post-World Cup squad selection back on track and focused on the size of the challenge ahead.

Kudos to those who made Joe Schmidt’s final 31-player squad for England 2015 but the below-par performance in defeat at home to Wales last Saturday and the prospect of meeting the hosts at full strength this weekend in the final pre-tournament Test for both sides means there was neither time nor inclination for celebration in the Ireland camp.

“There was a bit of excitement over the weekend,” second row Devin Toner said of waiting for the selection news, “obviously, it was a bit nerve-wracking on Sunday, waiting for the email to come in.