optimism high as lancaster plots title path

Now in his third season in charge, the ex-Leeds Carnegie chief insists the signs are there that the Red Rose can take the 2014 title.

In each of the last two campaigns, England have agonisingly finished runners-up while they started this time around with a painful 26-24 defeat in Paris.

However, they responded with a 20-0 win over Scotland at a rain-sodden Murrayfield and know if they can overcome Grand Slam-chasing Ireland at Twickenham next then they can still potentially prove victorious.

Two years on from his first game in charge – a 13-6 victory in Edinburgh – Lancaster said: “We’re definitely a lot further down the line in terms of our game understanding and what we’re trying to do as a team and how we’re trying to develop.

“You saw that in a lot of the attacking play we generated both last week and this while defence is always easier to get cohesion off and we’ve maintained that now for two good weeks.

“We defended well for long periods of the game against France so it is all coming together but, as a forward pack, we’re a bit frustrated we didn’t nail some more of those opportunities in the second half against Scotland.

“I’m not sure how many driving mauls we had but there were plenty.”

On Saturday, Ireland out-played champions Wales but Lancaster feels his squad have the nous and wherewithal to negate their talents.

“I thought we showed that in Dublin last year,” he said, when his side edged a 12-6 win. “It was similar conditions to what we saw in Scotland at the weekend.

“We got a good win over there and obviously won the previous year at Twickenham.

“We’re very respectful of what they have as a group and the experience in their team will probably far outweigh ours.

“So it will come down to us, really, to impose our game on them as well as seeing what they have to offer.”

England have no injury worries from the weekend so expect to be able to field the same squad again.