Lawrence Dallaglio, who is preparing to lead his country at Twickenham for the first time since 1999, has been particularly unimpressed to hear critics suggest England's pack lacks a steel-edged core.

True, Martin Johnson may have gone and Danny Grewcock and Simon Shaw may be injured, but Dallaglio does not believe that Ireland will be quick to repeat this allegation at Saturday's post-match function.

"Before you play any kind of rugby you have to assert yourself, dominate the physical battles, the rucks and the collisions and I've been interested to note people are asking whether we're going to be tough enough," growled Dallaglio, adamant that this Saturday's second-rowers, Steve Borthwick and Ben Kay, are fully capable of assuming the "enforcer" mantle previously shouldered by Johnson and Grewcock.

"I believe that, physically, we've actually moved on since the World Cup in November. I was very pleased with our physicality in our first two games and what we need to add now is a bit more intelligence. We need to think more about the way we're playing and be aware of how to finish opportunities off."

He is determined that England's run of 22 home victories will run and run.

Despite confirmation this week of the scrumhalf Kyran Bracken's retirement from Test rugby after 51 caps and the absence of the veteran Harlequins prop Jason Leonard from an Irish encounter for the first time in 14 years, Dallaglio is also confident England can survive the transitional period they are clearly entering.

"I've got total trust and confidence in the players we've picked," he said. "Instead of trying to replace the players who are going, people have got to go out and have confidence in their own ability.

"The transition has not been seamless but the fact players are being pushed to the limit in every position has made it a bit smoother. This is a very competitive environment. Look at the quality of the players in our A team. They don't want to be in Perpignan this weekend, they want to be at Twickenham."

It would certainly seem that Dallaglio is even more focused than usual on ensuring England do not slip up this weekend.

He rightly suspects Ireland will be mustard-keen - "With every game we win the desire to beat England becomes greater" - and, from a personal standpoint, has every incentive to impress in his side's first full Test back home since the heady days of the World Cup.

A decade ago Dallaglio took a phone call from Noel Murphy, chairman of the Irish selectors, asking him if he was interested in utilising his maternal qualification to wear the green of Ireland. He said no, but only because Jack Rowell happened to ring the following day to ask him to tour South Africa with England.

"I was banging my head against the door and one gets frustrated," he remembered. "If Jack hadn't phoned, who knows what might have been? Instead I went on tour to South Africa and that was the end of the story." With the centre Will Greenwood poised to notch up his 50th cap, Dallaglio will not, ironically, be leading his team out.