It could be a weekend to remember for Irish rugby later today as Ireland will look to complete the Grand Slam by beating England in Twickenham this afternoon.
Ireland who sealed the Six Nations crown last Saturday with a comprehensive victory over Scotland, will now look to cap off the the tournament by completing their first grand slam since 2009.
Joe Schmidt’s men who have been unstoppable throughout the tournament will be looking to claim their first victory over England in Twickenham since 2010 and therfore secure the triple crown and their third ever grand slam.
Although Ireland are marginally favourites going into the tie given recent form, England will be no push over as they will look to stop the rot following two back to back defeats to Scotland and France.
Ireland who were grateful for the boot of Johnny Sexton in their victory in the opening game over France, have gained some momentum going into this weekend’s decider with relatively easy wins over Scotland and Italy, although their dream could have been ended earlier in the tournament as they were made to work hard to gain a victory of a determined Welsh.
Heading into the game, Joe Schmidt was give a boost as Ulster’s Iain Henderson was declared fit to return to the second row following a hamstring injury, which he sustained in Ireland’s victory over Italy.
The history books haven’t been too kind to Ireland on their travels to the English capital as the last three fixtures at the famous old ground have ended in defeat for Ireland, however the boy’s in green will be optimistic heading into this weekend’s game given the recent unrest in the English camp.
The game kicks off later today at 2:45pm with coverage beginning on TV3 and ITV at 11:30am panda 12pm respectively.