Ireland and England meet at something of a crossroads for Six Nations finale

The warning signals are all too apparent for Ireland but if they can finally avoid the mistakes that have led to leaked points in the championship so far, and learned the lessons from those four straight defeats then tomorrow could lead to a great leap forwards for Project Farrell

Ireland forwards coach Paul O'Connell and head coach Andy Farrell

Ireland and England’s meeting in Dublin tomorrow evening may well be absent of silverware but to imagine this is a Guinness Six Nations finale with nothing at stake would be a fallacy.

There is no title to play, never mind a Grand Slam, and the Triple Crown has long since been installed in Cardiff. While for some armchair neutrals the offering at Aviva Stadium may be nothing more than a starter course for tonight’s France versus Wales showdown, when Wayne Pivac’s men bid for what had seemed an improbable Grand Slam two months ago.