Redemption day is made for Robinson

A plantation of banana skins has come between England and the domination of Europe. They cannot begin to contemplate another slip-up. If the Red Rose army beat a retreat from Dublin this afternoon it will cost them not just the Six Nations Grand Slam but almost certainly their dream of the World Cup later this year. They would be scarred for life.

It is one of the reasons why England should beat Ireland at Lansdowne Road. There are others. Beginning with the front row, the English pack is a stronger, more experienced unit; in Matt Dawson and Jonny Wilkinson they have arguably the best half-backs in the world; and they have pace and strength in a three-quarter line which contains, in Jason Robinson, the single most offensive player since Jonah Lomu.

Robinson may be half Lomu's size, but the net impact is the same; mayhem. The only difference is that the All Blacks' behemoth runs through and over the opposition. The Sale stingray strikes with speed and stealth. "I'm delighted he's in white, not green,'' Clive Woodward, the England manager, said.

Are England hungrier? Both countries are ravenous, the English after their last-hurdle crashes, the Irish because they have only won one Slam, and that was in 1948, 31 years before Brian O'Driscoll was born. Who will feel the pressure? While it is true that England cannot afford to lose, Ireland find themselves in alien territory. They can no longer play the little underdog that has the occasional big day. This time the onus is as much on the Irish as the English, and they will need more than a kicking game.

Woodward has been here before, and although he is still waiting for the T-shirt, his counterpart, Eddie O'Sullivan, is a greenhorn. A sharp operator, to be sure, but he is not long out of the US Eagles' nest.

The same comparisons apply between the captains, Martin Johnson and O'Driscoll. England are not the same without Johnson, who can intimidate not just the opposition but the referee with his incessant cross-examination. This could be Johnson's Six Nations swansong. After the World Cup, a number of thirtysomethings will be weighing up the options. The rosebed will be pruned. It is simply a question of timing.

England have been the side to beat, and the championship was saved from successive whitewashes, thank goodness, by a Celtic triple crown, beginning with Wales's stunning 32-31 victory at Wembley in 1999. Johnson was there, but the captaincy was in the hands of Lawrence Dallaglio.

The following year the Red Rose perished in the rain against the Scots at Murrayfield, where Dawson led England. When it was Ireland's turn to administer the mugging in Dublin in 2001, Dawson was again the unfortunate captain. That match took place in October following the hiatus caused by the foot and mouth outbreak. No interruptions this year, but nevertheless the huge distraction of the Iraq War.

"When I look back on what happened two years ago I pinch myself,'' Woodward said. "We got it badly, badly wrong.'' In points and tries England had set records in destroying Wales, Italy, Scotland and France. And then, belatedly, came Dublin and Keith Wood.

"In terms of our preparation we were all over the place,'' Woodward said. England spent the week at Portmarnock, where they lost a lot of golf balls. This time they did nearly all their serious work in the five-star splendour of Pennyhill Park, their Surrey headquarters which has a rugby pitch as well as a golf course.

And this time they stayed in Dublin, not on the outskirts but close to Lansdowne Road, at the Four Seasons, which may remind them, after losing to France last year, of the number of times the door has slammed in their face. This time there will be no excuses. "There's a real expectancy and there's no point trying to hide from it,'' Woodward said. He promises an onslaught from the word go. "I haven't thought about defeat. It's not entered my mind.'' Naturally he was very keen to accentuate the positive. Since losing to the Springboks in the World Cup in Paris in 1999, Woodward pointed out, more than once, that of their next 34 matches England won 30, 21 of them at Twickenham, a record that has given them the ranking of world No 1.

"It's all about winning. Nothing else matters. I've now got my strongest team. It's a myth that we can't play away from home. The players have taken England to a whole new level and deserve the accolade of Grand Slam champions.'' Deserving and getting are two different things.

Woodward has been in charge for five years, winning two championships, two triple crowns and an OBE, but the Devon Loch effect keeps depriving him and his players of the blue riband.

O'Sullivan should exploit the revelation that the BBC and Twickenham have got their way over the next two years, when the England-France match will be the climax to the Six Nations. Disregarding a rota that has already been established, it gives the other countries even more of an incentive to upset England's best-laid plans.

Ireland have Ronan O'Gara and the referee, Steve Lander, to thank for their narrow escape against Wales in Cardiff last week. And today the pack is reinforced with Victor Costello (Woodward used to coach him at London Irish) and Gary Longwell.

Ireland have come on a lot in the last couple of years, with the provinces sharpening their act in the Heineken Cup and Celtic League. They are more professional in every respect and their scrum, line-out and defence are vastly improved. And they have the kicking of David Humphreys and the running of O'Driscoll. "The bigger the challenge the higher he flies,'' O'Sullivan said. "Although he's young, he's very experienced and intelligent. Like Martin Johnson, he commands huge respect from his players. Brian's done a phenomenal job.''

The biggest factor in Ireland's favour is the crowd, an intangible until O'Sullivan said it made his players taller and faster. You can see his point. England know they are entering a cauldron, but sides with a pride of Lions should be able to withstand the heat.

Only once, when he was asked what was Robinson's best position, did Woodward lose his cool. Full-back, wing, centre... he didn't care where Robinson played as long as he got the ball.

This should be England's day of redemption. The alternative for Woodward and company is unthinkable.