Owen Farrell insists he has nothing but respect for Johnny Sexton - but the England skipper is out to spoil his Ireland rival's Grand Slam party and Six Nations farewell.
The out-half duo have played together on two Lions tours and Farrell, who is restored to the Red Rose line-up after the humiliating loss to France, says that he has been inspired by Sexton's drive to succeed and his longevity.
Ireland captain Sexton, 37, is striving to win the second Grand Slam and fourth Six Nations title of his career.
READ MORE: Owen Farrell happy to get shirty with dad Andy over Six Nations family allegiances
And any points he adds to his current tally will push him clear of the joint record he holds with Ronan O'Gara at the top of the all-time championship list.
“It speaks for itself," said Farrell, referring to his admiration for the Dubliner. "He is probably going to be the top points scorer ever in the Six Nations which is obviously a massive achievement.
"The longevity he has had, the drive I have seen first hand of him driving a team and the respect I have got for the way he does that and how that has been consistent for a long time now.
"He obviously had to battle his way in at the start against another top fly-half. I know he has not finished but he has had a phenomenal career so far – he has done it all. I have a massive amount of respect for that.
“You pick up all sorts on Lions tours but just his competitiveness, his drive, his want to do things properly - he wouldn’t accept anyone going through a training session and not doing it properly and that is a massive thing for a team that wants to do well.
"He’d have been right up there in this Ireland team for a long time, I’d imagine, doing that."
Farrell insists he is fit after an ankle injury scare as England look to restore pride by taking down the hot favourites and world's top ranked side - as Ireland look to extend their winning streak to 10 games.
"We’re looking forward to a big Test match," said the 31-year-old. "Ireland are going really well at the minute, going for a Grand Slam which is a massive occasion for them.
"We’re hurting a bit from last week, and are looking to take a step forward. It’s about us getting better.
"Last week wasn’t good enough, it never is in an England shirt. We’ve obviously been hurting with that as well, looking at it closely, probably closer than everybody else at what we can do better and trying to get that out on the field tomorrow.
"I can’t control what Ireland are doing. All that we can control ourselves and making sure we get our stuff that we want to get right, right. There’s a good team on the other side of the pitch that’s going to play a big part in that as well.
"Obviously they’re in the place they’re in and on the back of last weekend everybody, especially on the outside, is very down about where we’re at the minute. We’ve no doubt we’re better than that and we’re looking forward to the game."
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