Andy Goode pulls no punches in assessing England's Six Nations Championship demise this season, citing "ineptitude" as a fundamental reason.
The Leicester fly-half though, who makes his first Test match start tomorrow, believes England can dig deep enough to end their campaign by returning to winning ways and thwarting Irish Triple Crown hopes.
England have not scored a try in some three hours of Six Nations action while the three touchdowns they conceded to France last weekend were assisted by red rose blunders - including Goode's speculative pass that wing Christophe Dominici intercepted.
Successive defeats to Scot-land and France have consigned them to another Six Nations of underachievement, with the 31-6 French loss prompting Andy Robinson into making nine changes for the first time by an England coach during a championship campaign for 20 years.
Goode, deputising for an injured Charlie Hodgson, finds himself in a team that must rise above the distinctly below-average displays in Edinburgh and Paris and put England back on track before their summer tour to Australia.
The 25-year-old said: "It is not as if we are being completely outplayed, we're just giving other teams the opportunity to score tries through our own ineptitude, so there is a positive buzz around the camp this week. It is our last Six Nations game of the season and an opportunity to perform well and put things right this weekend that have not gone so well.
"What happened in Paris last Sunday is gone - there is nothing we can do about it -so we are looking forward to getting back to Twickenham and it is important we get a win."
Goode, among a handful to have amassed more than 1,000 Premiership points, knows that more than just high-class goal-kicking will be required as Ireland target a third successive Six Nations victory over England.
"It's no different to any other game," added Goode, who will be partnered at halfback by Leicester colleague Harry Ellis. "You've got to get the forwards going forward, you've got to get them over the gain-line, plus we've got to be precise in our back play.
"We know how Ireland defend. We have got moves to attack their weak spots we've found on video, and we've got to get back to playing in their half.
"That is always a big part of whatever game you play. Whether the fly-half dominates the territory and gets the team into the right positions to attack from, goes a fair distance as to whether you are going to win.
"I have done all my analysis on Ireland. I know where their weak spots are in defence, and it's down to me to call the right shots and perform, get the back-line execution as well as we can and obviously the first thing is dominate territory.
"We know Ireland are going to kick a lot. Ronan O'Gara is a very astute tactical kicker and I need to get on top of him in that part of the game.
"The fly-half's role in any game is to get the momentum for his side going forward, and if things aren't going so well you have to kick the pockets and kick the corners, and that's something I find in my game is fairly strong."
If the game develops into a heavily-orientated forward battle Goode's kicking could assume significant proportions.
"In O'Gara, Ireland have a high-percentage goal-kicker, so I've got to be on my game as well," said Goode, whose practice routine at Leicester involves being accompanied by his dalmatian, whose barking he believes replicates a match-type distraction.
"You treat every kick as if no-one is there and no-one is watching. I will do what I do week in and week out before a Leicester game, and keep everything as normal as I can.
"It is obviously the biggest game of my career, my first England start, but it is just another game.
"Kicking is part of my game - no-one else has any effect on it - so it's just down to me getting my head right and getting my routine as it normally is."
