While it is a sporting occasion, the meeting of these two nations has had no shortage of political and historic permutations in recent years, most notably in 2007 when England entered Croke Park, the epicentre of Irish sporting culture and the scene of the 1920 Bloody Sunday massacre.

On a day when emotions ran high Ireland rose to the occasion, beating the old enemy by their largest ever margin 43-13.

While tomorrow’s encounter won’t quite have the same air of tension as that fateful meeting five years ago, on St. Patrick’s Day the Irish team will enter the game with a certain sense of duty; this is Ireland’s day and no one will take it away from them, least of all England.

The English won’t want for motivation either however. They would have been defending a grand slam in this year’s Six Nations had Ireland not humbled them with a convincing 24-8 defeat in the Aviva Stadium last March.

Recent history has seen Ireland dominate the Red Rose, winning seven of the last eight championship encounters. But England have already exceeded expectations for this year’s tournament and on the back of a deserved victory in Paris will believe they have no reason to fear the Irish.

In Stuart Lancaster, England have a new manager picking new players but the blueprint remains the same; bulk and power in the pack, brawn in midfield and speed in the back three.

The first scrum of the game has become an occasion in itself in recent years, not only to observe which pack seems to have the ascendancy but also to get a sense of how the referee is policing the set piece.

Last weekend in Paris Alain Rolland seemed to harshly penalise an English scrum which had its French opposition stuck in reverse. As the game progressed England’s superiority grew more apparent until the appearance of experienced duo William Servat and Lionel Nallet who solidified the French.

Healy, Best and Ross have brought some consistency to the Irish scrum which had been an obvious weakness for seasons. The first engagement on Saturday will go a long way to telling us who has the edge in this department, with the familiar figure of Nigel Owens overseeing proceedings.

With both teams fancying their chances of ending the 2012 Six Nations on a high tomorrow, this encounter could come down to individual battles between opposing numbers.

If the British and Irish Lions team were being picked tomorrow, filling the number 6 jersey would be one of the trickier assignments. Players from all four nations have impressed but Stephen Ferris and Tom Croft would probably be the two front runners.

Ferris has been arguably Ireland’s player of the tournament. He has lead Ireland’s defensive efforts with some shuddering hits and has been instrumental in the execution of the choke tackle. The Ulsterman seems to have been a contender for Man of the match in every game due to his prominence and energy on the pitch.

Tom Croft’s potential to become a world class player was evident from the moment he made his Leicester Tigers debut in 2005. His 6’5” frame was accompanied by soft hands and astonishing pace for a backrow forward.

However in the following seven years Croft has mixed some sublime displays with some rather anonymous performances and he has been guilty of fading into the background at times. But in Paris last weekend he put in possibly the best individual display of this year’s Six Nations.

Croft was effective in the lineout, worked tirelessly in defence and proved that he can outdo Richie Gray when it comes to scoring scintillating tries.

Tomorrow, England will look to their number 6 to get his hands on the ball as much as possible and barge or snipe his way over the gain line. However Ireland will turn to Ferris to smash English ball carriers with the ferocity he’s displayed all season.

The second centre channel presents another compelling showdown. The majority of arguments against starting Keith Earls in centre have revolved around one instance; Ireland v England in the Aviva Stadium August 27 and that missed tackle on Manu Tuilagi.

It was as if Earls’ international career at centre evaporated in a moment. Closer examination of Tuilagi’s try clarifies that it wasn’t simply a case of a bigger man running over a smaller opponent, it was in fact Earls’ positional sense which let him down.

Earls allowed himself to drift too far infield alongside D’Arcy opening a gap which he couldn’t close in time, allowing the big Leicester centre to gallop through for a soft try.

Since then Earls has grown into the Irish 13 jersey. From his passing to his defensive alignment he has adapted every facet of his game in accordance with the switch from winger to centre.

Many will be fearful ahead of Earls’ reunion with Tuilagi in midfield, but the Limerick man was instrumental in Ireland’s outstanding defensive display against the powerhouse French pairing of Fofana and Rougerie.

I mentioned the first scrum as being a pivotal moment on Saturday, equally as vital will be Earls’ first tackle on Tuilagi. The Munster man must have had sleepless nights after that mistake in August, tomorrow presents his chance to atone.

The most important face-off however, as so often is the case, will come at outhalf.

Jonathan Sexton and Owen Farrell boast several of the same qualities. Both are strong, physical players who won’t shy away from their defensive duties.

Both players have had some experience in centre and have the passing and running threat to prove their credentials in the wider channel.

However, both have shown the same fatal flaw in this year’s Six Nations campaign – lack of game control.

Ronan O’Gara remains a cornerstone in the Irish setup because of his ability to come on and grab a game by the scruff of the neck and either kill off the enemy or inspire his teammates, depending on what is required of him.

Sexton has yet to impose himself as forcefully in an Irish jersey as he has done in the blue of Leinster.

The first half of the game against Italy in the Aviva – a game when his accuracy with the boot earned him man of the match - was an example of Sexton’s failure to put Ireland in the right area of the pitch and alleviate pressure on a struggling Irish pack. The flattering final score masks the fact that the teams would have been level at half time but for a last-minute Bowe try.

Farrell showed a similar weakness in the second half in Paris last weekend. With the hard work done in the first half, England needed their young fly half to play smart rugby and keep the French pinged back.

Instead his wayward kicking from hand failed to gain field position and invited a potent French back three to counter-attack.

On a day when passions will be simmering, this contest may come down to whichever young out half can hold his nerve and dictate the game.

Prediction: I can’t say how, why, or by how much, but I can see Kidney’s men inflicting further misery on the English – Ireland to win.