We love it when England provides the opposition

It can be said with little, if any, contradiction that sportspeople on this island – or, at least those on the south side of the border – love an Ireland versus England confrontation.

It doesn’t matter what the game is, soccer, rugby, boxing, horse racing, or any Olympic discipline. Nothing better to get the juices flowing, and if there’s a win for this side of the Irish Sea, well, that’s the cream on the bun.

In fairness to rugby followers from the other side of the border, they’re in line with their southern brethren when the Shamrock is out against the Red Rose.

Rugby hosted two meetings of the auld enemy over the past few days. Both were rugby matches, an under-20 match and another in the 6-Nations. Score: 1-1.

The boys got a bit of a drubbing. They had a numerical advantage for a good part of the game, but it’s the advantage on the last reading the scoreboard that counts. This was heavily in England’s favour.

Better for the seniors a couple of dates later. The game was at The Aviva, and for long periods it didn’t look good for the team coached by Andy Farrell’s stand-in, Simon Easterby. But it all came right, Ireland going well in front, but then getting complacent.

There should have been more between them at the finish – but a win is a win, and by securing it, Ireland scored four tries and as a consequence got a bonus point.

Whoever was named the man of the match should give his trophy to the chap who did the singing before the match. He was brilliant, even if he had to sing Ireland’s Call.

Ireland are out again next weekend, playing Scotland at Murrayfield. But, come on all you aficionados, how many of you are looking beyond this tie? The one against Dupont’s France, also at The Aviva, could be the decider..

There’s a reminder nowadays of how it was a few years ago, when, in the latter part of his career, Ronan O’Gara was in competition with Jonny Sexton for the fly-half position.

Now it’s Sam Prendergast against John Crowley. Prendergast got the call on Saturday, but was replaced by his rival. Those who raged online against Easterby’s decision to choose Prendergast in the starting line-up, wouldn’t have done the player’s confidence much good, if he had read it.

You can bet these keyboard knuckleheads, most of them faceless, never kicked a ball into touch in their lives.

What caught your eye immediately about the players as they trotted on to the pitch for the under-age match was the size and build of some of them.

Each of about a half-dozen could be described as a man mountain, shoulders on them to match any World heavyweight. And they weren’t afraid to use them, some, like the England No 6, not according to the rules. He got his marching orders.

The others were no weaklings either. They’d be good to have on your side if you ever got into a fight.

We spoke here before about the set-to between the countries that takes place each year at Cheltenham. It’s been Ireland’s preserve for the past number of years, with Willie Mullins, the team captain, leading from the front.

Mullins is again favourite to finish with most winners, but he and the other Irish trainers can expect a stern test this time from the home team.

It’s reckoned to be the strongest for some time, Nicky Henderson’s Champion Hurdle favourite, Constitution Hill, the flag-bearer.

But ‘we’ll’ take the Hill on, but ‘they’ won’t have anything to touch ‘our’ Galopen des Champs in the Gold Cup. The champion was peerless in defence of his Irish Gold Cup title at Leopardstown on Saturday.