THERE is a sign on the drive up to England’s headquarters in Bagshot, Surrey, that tells motorists: “Wildlife — please go slowly.” It is not believed to refer specifically to the England team, but the one thing they should be is wild after their recent shoddy displays and the one thing that Ireland will not do at Twickenham this evening is go slow.

The Irish face a rare occurrence: on form they have to be considered favourites to win at a venue where they have seldom prospered and, if they do so by a substantial margin, the RBS Six Nations Championship could be theirs, a first title since 1985. They have more experience than England, more attacking wit, greater consistency in selection yet, faced with the chance to win the game’s higher prizes, they have tended to come up short.

It is an intriguing final day to a championship that has taken some unexpected twists and turns. Conventional wisdom says that France will win in Cardiff against an out-of-sorts Wales and that, if they do, they already have enough points in the bag to be out of Ireland’s reach. But away wins have been out of fashion: England alone have conjured one this year, in Rome, so both France and Ireland have to buck the trend.

Ireland have made all the right noises this week, cautioning themselves and their public that England cannot be as bad again as they were against France last Sunday. England have used a similar argument and yet again, yesterday, said that their preparation had gone well, that they were intent on preserving Fortress Twickenham — only New Zealand have broken down the walls this season — and that they owe it to themselves and their public to finish the championship on a high.

Possibly the most worrying comment made by Andy Robinson, the England head coach, in the past few days is his stated belief that, after beating Italy, he felt he and his players were on the verge of great achievements. Robinson played for enough genuine championship teams at Bath, and has been associated as a coach with both England and Lions sides of quality, to know that the present squad falls short of the level required.

That is not entirely his fault, but he should know better than to make rash claims for a group that has shown itself capable of such failings as those displayed against Scotland and France. He speaks of today’s game as, in many ways, an extension of the overall plan for this season, in which players hitherto confined to the bench have an opportunity to bring their talents to bear. “I have no doubts about the players we have and the way we want to play the game,” he said.

There have been rumours that, had matters gone better over the past few weeks, he would have considered some subtle manoeuvring, such as playing Martin Corry in the second row or giving Ben Cohen a run at full back in the same way that Clive Woodward sometimes moved Jason Robinson and Josh Lewsey between full back and wing, regardless of the number on their back.

Subtlety, though, is not the immediate requirement for England. Winning is. There are still alternatives for Robinson when he contemplates his playing party for the two internationals against Australia in June, one of whom will surely be Mathew Tait, 20, who has been carefully rehabilitated by Newcastle Falcons, having been dropped by Robinson after one match, and has been in outstanding form on the sevens circuit.

Ireland will try to dictate how this game is played, knowing how frustrated England have become when chasing the game. They did so two years ago, launching a spectacularly successful assault on England’s lineout and winning by six points. The Munster half backs, Peter Stringer and Ronan O’Gara, can play the percentages and then try to launch a back line of huge potential at an untried England midfield.

England will not bully Ireland’s forwards into submission, though they should try to draw the sting from the visiting back row by tying them up in loose play. Eddie O’Sullivan’s selection of Denis Leamy at No 8 has worked well, David Wallace is a footballer of intelligence, but the great advantage Ireland have is their tried-and-tested units throughout the XV.