Ireland captain Caelan Doris will be looking to lift the Six Nations trophy aloft come March 15 (Image: Getty)
skipper Caelan Doris fears lightning could strike twice when the sides clash in the in Dublin today.
The No.8 was part of an Irish side who were stunned 23-22 at Twickenham last season when Marcus Smith’s late drop goal clinched a cliff-hanger.
England went into that match on the ropes and huge underdogs after stodgy wins against Italy and Wales and a dismal defeat to Scotland.
They are nearly on the canvas after a shocking autumn of three narrow defeats against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa and a meaningless win over Japan.
Ireland are still stinging from last March’s reverse, which derailed a Grand Slam, but Doris has warned his side England are capable of pulling another rabbit out of the hat.
The 26-year-old said: “It hurt massively. It is always the ultimate test coming up against these guys. There is a rich history and a massive rivalry there over the last number of years. We had had a pretty good run to the fourth round going in there, there was a lot of belief.
Ireland will be out for revenge against England at the Aviva Stadium (Image: Getty)
“But we knew there was a big performance brewing from them, they had not gone so well before that but look back six months prior to that and they were in a World Cup semi-final. It is similar now in that they have been on the wrong side of some the results in the autumn and we have respect for them.”
Doris and England’s Maro Itoje are both starting Six Nations campaigns as skipper for the first time. And Doris has urged his side to go after his opposite number – because Itoje is the key to the visitors’ performance.
And today’s game could have a British & Irish Lions context with the pair both in the conversation to lead the tourists in Australia in the summer.
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He added: “In how he plays he is quite a natural leader. He is very abrasive, very confrontational, strong around the set piece, very physical and a nuisance at the breakdown. You can kind of see the energy that a strong performance from him, the impact that has on the team.
“That has been the same for a number of years and it is no surprise he is in the captaincy role. As for the Lions I am aware that to be selected you need a strong Six Nations.”