England captain Chris Robshaw insists his Grand Slam-chasing team will be ready for anything and everything when they target RBS 6 Nations title glory against reigning champions Wales on Saturday.
The English are looking to end a 10-year Grand Slam wait but Wales could easily spoil the party, with a win or draw denying England the Grand Slam, while victory by seven points or more would mean Six Nations silverware remaining in Cardiff.
"We know what happens if we win, and we know what happens if they win," Robshaw said at his pre-match press conference in Cardiff today. "Both teams know exactly what they want to get out of this game and it is about showing that intent from the off. Both sides will want to get off to a great start and build momentum from that."
He went on: "We've been to intimidating places before, the likes of Ellis Park (in Johannesburg), and Wales is definitely up there. People speak about it as probably one of the best places to actually go and play rugby.
"We have prepared that there is going to be a marching band come through our warm-up. You can let that get on your nerves or you can plan for it. You know where they (band) are going to walk and you move to different areas.
"I remember when we went to Stade de France about five years ago (with Harlequins) and they had people jousting on the side of the pitch and Moulin Rouge girls. It's entertaining the crowd and giving the supporters that real kind of involvement in the game.
"It's about making sure we don't get flustered by these things and that we keep our cool.
"If you give the crowd an opportunity to get into the game in the first 10 minutes, then it's going to be a long old afternoon, as we found at Ellis Park (last summer), when we were 20 points down in 20 minutes.
"It is about making sure that in the warm-up we soak up what it is going to be like, and make sure when that first whistle goes we are mentally prepared and ready to give it our all.
"A lot of the players involved tomorrow were there at Ellis Park and experienced that. You look back on your experiences and hopefully we can learn from it."
