Fly-half Paul Grayson fears England could suffer under a bruising Irish challenge if they do not step up a level in Saturday's RBS Six Nations clash at Twickenham.

Fly-half Paul Grayson fears England could suffer under a bruising Irish challenge if they do not step up a level in Saturday's RBS Six Nations clash at Twickenham.

Grayson says the world champions know they must improve on their performances against Italy and Scotland if they want to chalk up their 23rd successive Test match victory on home soil. "Ireland are coming to Twickenham to win, and we need to be very wary that they will be coming to go flat out, to go after us and go for the upset," he said.

"We were slightly rusty against Italy, but they are no pushovers, and I think everyone else will discover that as the tournament unfolds," he added.

"We were under no illusions about what to expect in Scotland, and we kind of tailored our game to cope with that and squeeze the life out of them, rather than run them off their feet.

"We did that effectively. It perhaps didn't come over quite as spectacularly on the television, but in terms of application, game plan and result, we got exactly what we wanted. "This weekend, it is absolutely necessary to step up a level. We are clear as to what we have got to do, and we don't want to be surprised."

Ireland number eight Anthony Foley (pictured) believes a run-out against Clive Woodward's champions is the perfect way to celebrate his 50th cap. "Playing the world champions is a good way to mark your 50th cap. There isn't a whole lot of expectation on us because everyone is expecting England to win. It's a massive, massive game," he said. AFP - 2004.