John O’Shea makes no bones about the fact that Scotland is the fixture that matters.
But he also makes no bones about the fact that England are in town and, when that happens, everything else can be put to one side for a second.
There was always naturally going to be a very real rivalry to an Ireland-England game and, even though this is just a precursor to the one match that really counts this week, the players want a result.
“Ultimately, it’s a game against England and you want to get a positive result,” O’Shea stated. “We want to get a result against England.”
However, having plied his trade for over a decade in the Premier League, the Irish legend knows first-hand the test that the side will face today at the Aviva.
O’Shea has seen England improve of late and he is wary of their pace.
“They seem to have a quieter confidence about them,” he said. “Obviously they’ve introduced some younger lads and newer lads into the squad again. The competition for places amongst their squad is very tough too which is also very important so considering all those factors – I think they’ve got good pace in the team too.
“Some of their games, they have been very strong counter attacking and they seem to have been working a little bit more on that type of situation. They also have a few injuries too, but they have one or two new faces – lads that have fantastic seasons behind them.
“They probably have the benefit of being able to look at a few more players because they’re so commanding in their group.
“I’m expecting a tough game. They’re very good players, I play against them every week so I know what they’re about and I know how good they can be.”
