England's Jamie George: 'Pete is very serious and grumpy on the field - and very serious and grumpy off it. But he’s another close mate'

Complicating things further at Twickenham is that George is great mates with, among others, Johnny Sexton and Peter O’Mahony from the 2017 Lions tour.

Peter O'Mahony of Ireland runs at Jamie George of England during the England v Ireland Autumn Nations Cup at Twickenham Stadium on November 21, 2020. The pair became close friends as Lions teammates.

Everyone is in agreement that a hugely significant fixture awaits the rugby men of England and Ireland. Inside the two dressing rooms, though, intense personal motivation is also part of the emotional mix. Sometimes it can be overlooked just how much pain and soul searching has to be endured before players finally run out into Twickenham’s concrete vastness and stand proudly for the anthems.

For at least one Englishman, it is only then that the madness makes sense. All those sacrifices – the injuries, the rehab, the relentless grind of professional sport – finally become worth it from Jamie George’s perspective. “A lot of the time during the week you go through a lot of hardship. It isn’t easy. Everyone sees you lining up for the anthems but not always the amount you need to go through to get there.”