Ireland v England (Sat)
SIX NATIONS - IRELAND v ENGLANDVenue: Croke Park Date: Saturday, 28 February Kick-off: 1730 GMT
Ireland aim to take another step towards a possible RBS Six Nations title showdown with Wales by beating England in Dublin on Saturday.
Coach Declan Kidney has named the same side for the third straight match after victories over France and Italy.
England, thrashed 43-13 at Croke Park in 2007, hope to build on the promise of their display in Wales as they look for a first win in Dublin since 2003.
Their only change sees Toby Flood replace Andy Goode at fly-half.
Flood, 23, will win his 24th cap, but it is only his fifth start at fly-half.
Manager Martin Johnson hopes the Leicester Tiger, who also takes the goal-kicking duties, will bring some consistency to a position where England have used five different players in 10 Tests.
RECENT MEETINGS
2008: England 33-10 Ireland
2007: Ireland 43-13 England
2006: England 24-28 Ireland
2005: Ireland 19-13 England
2004: England 13-19 Ireland
"Toby's been around the international scene for two or three years now and I see this as his chance to nail down the position," said Johnson.
"Pulling the strings at international level is a big responsibility, and players have to experience a range of things before they can make the role theirs."
Flood will hope not to repeat his experience in Dublin two years ago, when he watched as an unused replacement while Brian Ashton's side conceded a record number of points by any English team in championship history.
Only four of the starting XV thrashed 43-13 - Mike Tindall, Harry Ellis, Joe Worsley and Phil Vickery, who was captain that day - remain, while Lee Mears, Julian White and Mathew Tait appeared as replacements amid the carnage.
Penalty count will be crucial - Johnson
By contrast, 13 of Ireland's 22 and seven of the starting side that revelled in a fixture bursting with historical and political symbolism will confront England at "Croker" for a second and final time, with Ireland returning to the revamped Lansdowne Road next year.
However, according to full-back Rob Kearney, one of a clutch of young players who have added an extra vibrancy to Ireland this season, it is memories of last year's 33-10 defeat at Twickenham that the Irish will look to for motivation.
"There's a lot of hurt from last year because we got a good old trouncing and now it's the time to set that right," he said.
"But the England game of two years ago has been talked about as well. I wasn't involved in that one but I can't wait to get a taste of it.
"This is a massive occasion. Ireland is a hugely patriotic country and with that comes a huge responsibility to ourselves and our country. It's important that we finish this match with the right message."
A third victory in this year's championship would see talk of a first Irish Grand Slam in 61 years grow louder, despite a hazardous finish to their campaign that features trips to Murrayfield and the Millennium Stadium on successive Saturdays.
But they should have enough momentum to keep that dream alive against an England side seeking reassurance that running Wales close in Cardiff was not a defiant one-off.
Ireland: R Kearney; T Bowe, B O'Driscoll (capt), P Wallace, L Fitzgerald; R O'Gara, T O'Leary; M Horan, J Flannery, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, S Ferris, D Wallace, J Heaslip. Replacements: R Best, T Court, M O'Driscoll, D Leamy, P Stringer, G D'Arcy, G Murphy.
England: D Armitage; P Sackey, M Tindall, R Flutey, M Cueto; T Flood, H Ellis; A Sheridan, L Mears, P Vickery, S Borthwick (capt), N Kennedy, J Haskell, J Worsley, N Easter. Replacements: D Hartley, J White, T Croft, L Narraway, D Care, A Goode, M Tait.
