Ireland captain Paul O’Connell said Saturday that a win over England on Sunday in the Six Nations showdown in Dublin would rank among the greatest ever achievements by an Irish rugby team.
The 35-year-old Irish great — who will win his 99th Ireland cap — admitted it would be a tough task for the defending titleholders against an England side he rates as the strongest he has come across in what has been a long and glittering career.
That would include the team captained by Martin Johnson who thrashed the Irish in Dublin in a winners take all Grand Slam clash and went on to lift the World Cup later that year.
Sunday’s contest could decide the championship with England and Ireland the only unbeaten teams after two rounds.
“It (beating England) would be right up there with anything we achieved, beating England is always special for an Irish team,” said O’Connell.
“I think this is strongest English team I’ve come across in my career so it would be right up there.”
O’Connell, who recently received another accolade, although from an unlikely quarter, in being voted the man most Irish women would like to spend the night with, praised Stuart Lancaster for blending the team into such a force.
“England have great strength in depth,” said the Munster lock.
“They have a great attitude, great mentality, have superb discipline and are well organised.
“They have set the standard for the rest of the competition with their performance in the second-half in Cardiff against Wales,” added O’Connell referring to their opponents coming from behind to beat the Welsh in their first game.
England assistant coach Mike Catt said it would be a great test for the relatively raw and inexperienced English players — backrow forward James Haskell is the oldest at 29 — against a side packed with British and Irish Lions players.
“Yes, very much so. It’s a good opprtunity for (wing) Jack (Nowell) after a year out of the team to come back in. He gives us energy, same with (fullback) (Alex) Goode. But they are playing against some formidable players,” said the 43-year-old former England back, a member of the 2003 World Cup winning side.
“They wll be tested but we like to think they’re confident enough and in good enough form that they’ll be able to combat that.”
