WillGreenwood

I know what it takes to win in Dublin and I know what it's like to lose there too. We missed out on a Grand Slam across the Irish Sea in 2001 when the game was played in October because of the foot and mouth crisis that had wreaked havoc in the spring.

A squad decimated by the Lions tour to Australia that summer headed to Dublin for a well sign-posted ambush. We couldn't find the rhythm of the spring and Ireland climbed into us at every ruck, maul, tackle area. They never let us get our tempo game going and they stole the match. Peter Stringer's tackle on Dan Lugar was perhaps the greatest I ever saw while on the field of play.

We got our revenge two years later when we completed a Grand Slam in Dublin with a 42-6 win. I scored two that day but the strange thing is that, although the result makes it sound like a one-sided affair, at half-time the match could have gone either way. Jonny Wilkinson made 22 tackles, which tells you something about the kind of pressure we came under.

Many people believe England's toughest task will be stopping Brian O'Driscoll on Saturday. The mercurial centre is a tremendous talent but we were always successful at containing him. We stuck to our game, we did not over-mark him or double up because we had a flexible defensive system in place. We trusted each other, the most crucial component of any team wanting to win away from home. O'Driscoll has scored 24 international tries but few of them came against England during Clive Woodward's era.

I might not be backing England to win the Grand Slam but I have been pleased by the progress the team have made in the last couple of months. Chris Ashton stole the plaudits early on but, although the winger is nailed on to finish as top try scorer, Jason Leonard keeps reminding me that he only needs one to consign my record to the dustbin. Toby Flood has been excellent too and there have been some outstanding one off performances such as Dylan Hartley against France and Mark Cueto against Scotland.

Johnno has come of age as a coach too. As a player, his self-belief was phenomenal and he's always backed himself behind closed doors, but now he's starting to show that in public which bodes well for England's World Cup campaign.

At this point, England can be backed at 9.0 to win the big one in New Zealand this autumn. It's too early to say whether that's a fair price - the hosts remain deserved favourites at 1.98 - but England are on the up and, while backing Ireland may sound strange today, I think backing England to win the World Cup is an even better bet than my Grand Slam punt. Take the 9.0 on offer, trade out on Final day and watch an epic between New Zealand and England!

For more Six Nations betting articles, go to http://betting.betfair.com/rugby-bet/rugby-union/six-nations-betting/