England vs Ireland, Six Nations: Intensity is rising for Ireland game – we want this title, says Chris Robshaw

It is almost exactly a year since Ireland’s forwards, revelling in the wintry greyness of a Sabbath afternoon in Dublin, plundered England’s line-out, ransacked their rivals in the loose and indicated to all those capable of seeing beyond the ends of their noses that the World Cup hosts’ chances of winning their own global tournament were somewhere south of zero. The significance of the defeat was not lost on the then red-rose captain, Chris Robshaw.

“I don’t know if they were cleverer than us that day, but they were probably more intense,” acknowledged the Harlequins flanker, back among the rank and file after four years as on-field commander-in-chief. “We were slightly off the pace, I feel.

“Two years previously, we’d won a tight game over there. This time, they were very smart in playing the tricks they always have up their sleeves. They ran good lines, they were good under the high ball, they really attacked the breakdown.”

In other words, they showed precisely how England could be beaten, in good time for the big tournament ahead.

No one believes for a second that the Irish will change their approach when they visit Twickenham on Saturday, but there are good reasons to think they will struggle to execute with the same precision. Paul O’Connell, their kingpin second-row forward and skipper, has retired, and his anointed successor, the Ulster lock Iain Henderson, is crocked. The flankers Peter O’Mahony and Sean O’Brien are also off-limits through injury, as is another back-five forward capable of covering over the selectorial cracks, Mike McCarthy.

The Irish are suffering emotionally as well as orthopaedically: a draw with Wales and a narrow defeat in France have weakened their grip on the Six Nations title to the point of relinquishment. All things considered, then, Robshaw has good reason to view the game at Twickenham on Saturday evening as vital to England’s renewed sense of wellbeing after the trauma of the World Cup pratfall.

“This one in particular is important to us,” he said. “It’s our first hit-out of the year at home and we want to go out there and show the crowd how we want to play. Ireland will have some frustration in them, I’m sure – they’re always a passionate side – and as the championship games come thick and fast now, the feeling of intensity is rising.

“We have our own frustrations in Six Nations rugby, having missed out on the title on points difference in each of the last three years. It’s tough, especially when you fine gentlemen of the media are taking pictures of us watching the disappointment unfold on television and printing them in the papers. You remember those things. So having done a pretty good job in the first two rounds, we want to go on and win this title.”

Robshaw has frequently spoken of his pride at leading England through an entire World Cup cycle, even if the wheels fell off at the worst possible moment, and there are times when he strikes a wistful note in reflecting on his new status as a mere foot soldier. But he seems settled enough, not least because he is playing the blind-side role most observers believe he was born to perform.

“It’s not too out of the ordinary, not being captain,” he said. “It’s been that way at Quins for a couple of seasons now, so when I go back there I’m in the same boat I’m in here. There are areas from a team perspective where I might have an inkling of what’s needed and have more of a say, but there are other areas where I just get on with my own game.

“I will help Dylan [Hartley, the new captain] as much as I can, in so far as he needs or wants it. Outside of that, I’m here to do my bit for the team and play the best I can.”

Does he ever feel tempted to discuss matters with the referee, just for old times’ sake? “It’s not my place,” he responded. “It’s up to someone else to do it – Danny Care at Quins, Dylan here with England. There might be moments when you get a little frustrated and find yourself wanting to say something, but you just have to pass it through the correct channels.”

Victory over Ireland will send Robshaw and company into the last two rounds with Grand Slam possibilities at the forefront of their minds and with Wales next up at Twickenham on 12 March, there could be some serious frenzy ahead. “Twickenham is brilliant every time,” the flanker said. “We’re lucky at Quins because we get to play there more than most – the London double-header, the annual ‘Big Game’ – but when you do it in an England shirt it’s so special. And when we go back there this weekend, it will feel like it’s our place again.

“For us, this is about building consistency and rewarding the supporters for their backing. We’ve had our moments over the last few years, but the fantastic results have been followed by the bad ones.

“Generally speaking, I think we’ve played pretty well, had a dip, then played pretty well again. The important thing is not to have those dips. That’s where our focus is now. We have to keep building.”