Eddie O’Sullivan has dismissed suggestions that his side will go into Saturday’s Six Nations  showdown with England as favourites.

Ireland won at Twickenham two years ago and, after last season’s triumph at Lansdowne Road, will be aiming to complete a third successive win over England for the first time for 30 years.

With the Triple Crown and an outside chance of the championship at stake, O’Sullivan’s men will head for London in buoyant mood but their coach insists they remain the underdogs.

"It would definitely be a first to go to Twickenham as favourites," he said. "I can’t imagine we would be favourites, given that most people feel we haven’t played well this year.

"If you’re going to beat England at Twickenham, you’ve got to get a lot of things right and make very few mistakes. You’ve got to be at the top of your game. I think England are going to bounce back from Paris. They will be very disappointed with their performance there. It was very reminiscent of what we went through in Paris.

"They have a point to prove at home and it’s only their second Six Nations game at home this year."

While O’Sullivan has predictably named an unchanged starting line-up, his opposite number Andy Robinson has rung the changes following his side’s embarrassment against France.

England were a shambles in Paris but O’Sullivan reckons their 31-6 defeat did Ireland no favours.

"I think it makes it tougher," he said. "I was hoping that, if it wasn’t going to be a draw in Paris, that England could win so that it would be a clear shoot-out at Twickenham and it would have heaped an awful lot of pressure on England.

"There is still pressure on them but England are going to have to bounce back so there’s going to be a backlash. They’ve only lost one game at Twickenham this year and that was to New Zealand."