Rugby latest: Six Nations - England vs Ireland

When rugby fans looked at the fixture list at the beginning of the Six Nations this season some may have seen this weekend's Twickenham encounter between Ireland and England as one which could be deciding the title. Click here for a free £200 to bet on the Six Nations with Canbet As it is, this match is played out between two sides who take to the field with feelings of disillusionment and lack of confidence. Wales's 16-12 Triple Crown victory at Croke Park last week was just the seventh home loss by Ireland when trained by Eddie O'Sullivan, and it knocked the stuffing out of them. England have had a dreadful tournament also, which was capped by quite possibly the worst display of international rugby ever seen last weekend when they were downed 15-9 by a committed, yet severely limited Scotland. Brian Ashton has reacted in the most bizarre fashion, dropping Jonny Wilkinson in favour of Danny Cipriani, the future star of English rugby. Why there have been no other changes to the side that performed so poorly is beyond the imagination of most rugby fans, and it is difficult to understand what Ashton is trying to achieve. Both sides need a victory but with Ireland winning the last four matches between these two, their confidence at Twickenham may well prove the difference. No-one really seems to know what is wrong with England anyway. They have a monster pack, which can bully and bulldoze any international side in the world, it is just that they look scared to use it. Forward domination generally means quality ball with which your backs can make use of, but too many of England's forwards lurk out in the three-quarters, and the backs have been lacking creativity. If Ireland get a foothold in this game it could well be curtains for England and Ashton's tenure as coach. They visitors will look for inspiration from their new captain Ronan O'Gara as well as Paul O'Connell, who seems to be feeling his way back after injury. Canbet have Ireland at 3.75 to win by 1-12 points and given the lack of confidence of both sides and the axe hanging over Ashton's head you can see Ireland narrowly pipping the result in an error-strewn game. Verdict: 2pts Ireland by 1-12 @ 3.75 (Canbet) Click here for a free £200 to bet on the Six Nations with Canbet