Fly-half Toby Flood has insisted England will use their Grand Slam heartbreak to inspire them going into the World Cup.
Fly-half believes loss will act as a catalyst to drive England forward
Fly-half Toby Flood has insisted England will use their Grand Slam heartbreak to inspire them going into the World Cup.
Hopes of a first RBS Six Nations clean sweep since 2003 vanished at Lansdowne Road as Ireland inflicted a 24-8 defeat.
The loss was not enough to prevent England being crowned champions, however the trophy will have been little reward for their efforts.
And Flood believes the squad can follow the example of the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Mike Tindall and Martin Johnson - who all suffered Grand Slam despair before going on to win the World Cup in 2003.
"This will hurt for a long time," said Flood.
"Sometimes it is the darkest and difficult moments that bring you together. We will have to use this as a catalyst to drive us forward."
Hurts
Tom Wood, one of the stars of England's campaign after making his debut against Wales, admitted the squad would bounce back from the upset.
The 24-year-old said: "It is really disappointing to have done all the hard work, to have played well for the most part and ground out some good wins, then come over here and just let it slip with relative ease.
"We were never really in that game and that's what hurts the most. We didn't give ourselves a chance.
"I would imagine we will remember this game more than the four victories. The losses hurt and you remember the mistakes you made more than the things you did well, the tries and the positives.
"We will have to learn from it because we will have another chance at some stage and we owe them one now."
