'Desperation is an illness' - Farrell wants Ireland to be focused

You'd have to go back 16 years to find a Six Nations game in Dublin where the stakes felt as high as they are this week.

England's visit to Croke Park in 2007 didn't have a trophy on the line, but remains one of the biggest days in the history of Irish rugby.

It's a day Andy Farrell has revisited throughout his coaching career. The Ireland head coach was part of an English side who were beaten from start to finish, 43-13, but the manner in which Eddie O'Sullivan's side dealt with the weight of expectation has always stayed with him.

"In regards to performing when it matters, because the Irish team at that time had to win because of the occasion in Croke Park," Farrell says, as he looks back on that day at GAA HQ.

"How they attacked that game and pushed themselves from the first minute. I think, thinking back, on the first kick-off, I think they played wide form their own '22 and clearing at 70 or 80 metres, rather than just being conservative.

"They were playing to space and how they went after that game, getting the balance of the right emotion but, at the same time, playing the game that was in front of them was fantastic in regards to dealing with the crowd and occasion."

Saturday's visit of England to the Aviva Stadium doesn't carry the same emotional weight as Croke Park in 2007, but with Ireland standing 80 minutes away from just a fourth Grand Slam title, and first ever to be won at Lansdowne Road, it's certainly the most highly anticipated Six Nations game of the last 16 years.

There's no avoiding those high stakes, and under Farrell in particular this Irish side have become comfortable dealing with the big occasion.

And while the size of the occasion will no doubt factor into this week's preparations and motivations,