Preview: England v Ireland
Both teams lost their last games, with England going down to France in Paris and Ireland coming up short against Wales in Dublin, so there will be some intent on both sides at Twickenham on Saturday.
England have made five changes with centre Brad Barritt and wing Anthony Watson returning, while in the pack lock Geoff Parling and loose forwards Tom Wood and Ben Morgan get chances.
Coach Stuart Lancaster will certainly be demanding more from his forwards following their rough ride against France's strongmen a fortnight ago.
Six Nations champions Ireland are also on a mission to bounce back from last weekend' 16-10 surprise home loss to Wales.
Having won 35-21 in Cardiff prior to that match, it was a setback for Ireland coach Joe Schmidt and his players.
However, Schmidt has rolled out some heavy artillery, with the visitors seeking a statement result ahead of their World Cup opener against Canada in Cardiff on September 19.
The New Zealand-born coach insisted: "We are going to Twickenham to win.
"It is an important game because it is the last one before the World Cup starts and it's always better to go into a huge tournament on the back of a victory rather than a defeat," he said.
Players to watch:
For England: Mike Brown should threaten from the back, centres Brad Barritt and Jonathan Joseph are starting together for the first time so it will be interesting to see how they click. George Ford will want to prove he should be first-choice flyhalf at the World Cup, as will scrumhalf Ben Youngs. Big Ben Morgan and Tom Wood should get their team going forward and in the line-outs look for Geoff Parling and in the scrums Joe Marler will be key.
For Ireland: Simon Zebo gets a crack at fullback and should enjoy the space alongside experienced Tommy Bowe, in midfield New Zealand-born centre Jared Payne should prove a handful for England. The halfback pair of Jonny Sexton and Conor Murray may be the best in the world right now while in the forwards Jamie Heaslip and Sean O'Brien will use all of their experience, Paul O'Connell will lead by example and Mike Ross will have an important job to do at scrum-time.
Head to head: Simon Zebo and Mike Brown will havecontrasting styles at fullback but both are solid under the high ball. Out wide Jonny May will be up against Tommy Bowe but the key battle should be at flyhalf between George Ford and Jonny Sexton. In the forwards Ben Morgan will look to overpower Jamie Heaslip and Sean O'Brien and England skipper Chris Robshaw will have a full crack at the breakdown. In the line-outs it will be Geoff Parling against Paul O'Connell and at scrum-time Mike Ross will have his hands full against Joe Marler.
Recent results:
2015: Ireland won 19-9 in Dublin
2014: England won 13-10, London
2013: England won 12-6, Dublin
2012: England won 30-9, London
2011: England won 20-9 Dublin
2010: Ireland won 20-16, London
2009: Ireland won 14-13, Dublin
2008: England won 33-10, London
2007: Ireland won 43-13, Dublin
2006: Ireland won 28-24, London
2005: Ireland won 19-13, Dublin
2004: Ireland won 19-13, London
Prediction: Both teams are desperate for a win and England are at home so they should edge it by about five points.
Teams:
England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs; 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (captain), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Courtney Lawes, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Joe Launchbury, 20 Billy Vunipola, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Sam Burgess.
Ireland: 15 Simon Zebo, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Johnny Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Paul O'Connell (captain), 4 Devin Toner, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Jack McGrath.
Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Tadhg Furlong, 18 Nathan White, 19 Donnacha Ryan, 20 Chris Henry, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Darren Cave.
Date: Saturday, September 5
Venue: Twickenham, London
Kick-off: 14.30 (13.30 GMT)
Expected weather: Cloudy with showers, high of 16, wind 20 kph
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Romaine Poite (France), Leighton Hodges (Wales)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
