Woodward scorns myth of England's travel sickness

Eddie O'Sullivan believes England will face any amount of hassle on Grand Slam day this weekend – not only from an Ireland team showing two significant changes from the one that saw off Wales by a single point in Cardiff last Saturday, but from a Dublin crowd so advanced in their command of medical science that, according to the coach, they make the local players "six inches taller, two seconds faster and 10 kilos heavier". O'Sullivan also claimed England were the best side in the world. They will need to be if they suddenly find themselves confronted by 15 green-shirted Jonah Lomus.

In keeping with the spirit of the moment, Clive Woodward also indulged in a little fantasising. "It would be great," he pronounced, "to bury the myth that England cannot play away from Twickenham. We play away from home as well as anyone." Myth? Mmmm. Leaving aside the widely chronicled Grand Slam stuff-ups in a variety of capital cities over the last four years, England have won only once in New Zealand, pretty rarely in South Africa and never in Australia. If this is a fable, there are elements of truth to it.

Woodward was brutally honest for most of yesterday's address to the nation, however. The England manager-cum-coach was in no mood to play down the importance of the occasion, or hide his light under a bushel. "Without being overly dramatic about this, I see the game as the culmination of the work we've done since the 1999 World Cup," he said. "It is no longer about learning or developing, because this is now a very experienced team. Nothing matters apart from winning, so I'll be interested to see how these players react to the pressure of a must-win match.

"When I look back on the game we lost in Dublin in 2001, I still pinch myself. We got it badly, badly wrong and I'm the first to admit it. But the situation then does not compare to our situation now, because this group of players has taken English rugby to a new level. One of the few things missing is the tag of Grand Slam champions and they deserve the accolade. It won't come easy, but they know they are only 80 minutes away."

Ireland's chances of spiking England's Grand Slam ambitions for the second time in 18 months, and repeating their achievement of 1948 by landing a Slam of their own, will be enhanced by the presence of two highly physical grunt-and-groaners in Gary Longwell, the Ulster lock, and Victor Costello, the hard-driving flanker from Leinster. Both missed the match in Cardiff through injury, but have been passed fit for the last hurrah of an engrossing 2003 Six Nations' Championship. Costello replaces Alan Quinlan, who drops to the bench, while Longwell takes over from Leo Cullen, who drops out of the squad altogether.

Word in Ireland that Ronan O'Gara, whose long-range drop goal saved the Irish last weekend, would beat David Humphreys to the outside-half berth proved unfounded, as did rumours that Girvan Dempsey's ultra-orthodox approach to the full-back duties might hold sway over the more maverick talents of Geordan Murphy. Both O'Gara and Dempsey are among the replacements, as is Paul O'Connell, the outstanding second- row forward from Munster, after months of frustration on the fitness front.

England had a fitness concern of their own yesterday when Trevor Woodman, the Gloucester prop, pulled out of training with back problems. There was no immediate suggestion that he might forfeit his place among the substitutes, but it was a development Woodward could have done without in the long-term absence of two hardened international front-rowers in Phil Vickery and Julian White. Lansdowne Road is an awkward enough venue at the best of times, let alone for a team with inexperienced cover at the sharp end of the scrummage.

Wales, understandably keen not to end up on the wrong end of a Six Nations whitewash, have made four changes to the side that lost against the Irish. Jonathan Humphreys, the hooker and captain, and Mark Jones, the Llanelli wing, are both injured and out of commission for the devilishly difficult trip to Paris on Saturday, so Pontypridd's Mefin Davies and Cardiff's Craig Morgan step up. Iestyn Harris is preferred to Tom Shanklin at inside centre, while Dwayne Peel has reclaimed the scrum-half's jersey from Gareth Cooper.

Meanwhile, Italy must travel to Scotland in the continued absence of their single most effective player, Mauro Bergamasco. Moved from the coalface of the back row to the garden party surroundings of the right wing at the start of the tournament, Bergamasco's famed physical resilience broke down after only two outings. Maybe life in the back division is tougher than generations of forwards have been willing to admit.

SIX NATIONS TEAMS

IRELAND (v England, Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Sunday, 2.0pm): G Murphy (Leicester); J Bishop (London Irish), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt), K Maggs (Bath), D Hickie (Leinster); D Humphreys (Ulster), P Stringer (Munster); M Horan (Munster), S Byrne (Leinster), J Hayes (Munster), G Longwell (Ulster), M O'Kelly (Leinster), V Costello (Leinster), K Gleeson (Leinster), A Foley (Munster). Replacements: F Sheahan (Munster), J Fitzpatrick (Ulster), P O'Connell (Munster), A Quinlan (Munster), G Easterby (Llanelli), R O'Gara (Munster), G Dempsey (Leinster).

WALES (v France, Stade de France, St-Denis, Paris, Saturday, 1.0): R Williams (Cardiff); C Morgan (Cardiff), M Taylor (Swansea), I Harris (Cardiff), G Thomas (Bridgend); S Jones (Llanelli), D Peel (Llanelli); I Thomas (Llanelli), M Davies (Pontypridd), G Jenkins (Pontypridd), R Sidoli (Pontypridd), G Llewellyn (Neath), C Charvis (Swansea), M Williams (Cardiff, capt), D Jones (Llanelli). Replacements: G Williams (Bridgend), M Madden (Llanelli), S Williams (Northampton), G Thomas (Bath), G Cooper (Bath), T Shanklin (Saracens), M Watkins (Llanelli).