Six Nations: Lancaster hints Billy Twelvetrees could make way for Manu Tuilagi for England v Ireland

Stuart Lancaster has hinted he will restore Manu Tuilagi to England's starting XV for the Ireland Six Nations clash, forcing him to drop either Gloucester's Billy Twelvetrees or Saracens' Brad Barritt.

England name their team on Thursday, with the centre partnership once again the source of greatest discussion following the return to fitness of Leicester Tigers' Tuilagi's after four weeks out with an ankle injury.

Twelvetrees enjoyed a fine Test debut in Saturday's 38-18 victory over Scotland, adding a new dimension to the midfield, while Barritt offers defensive steel that the management are reluctant to lose.

"I watched Manu through the course of last week, I could see he was back to running and changing direction," England coach Lancaster said.

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"He has missed a few games, but I'm confident we'll be able to use him after a full week's training.

"Billy played well against Scotland and Brad's contribution as always was positive, but Manu brings a unique set of skills and attributes to the game and the team, as we saw in his performance against the All Blacks."

Stuart Lancaster also insisted that last summer's tour to South Africa has prepared England for the storm that awaits in Dublin on Sunday.

Just two weekends into the 2013 RBS Six Nations and the Aviva Stadium showdown with Ireland is shaping up to be an early title decider following France's shock opening-round defeat to Italy.

Two years ago England arrived at Lansdowne Road hoping to complete the Grand Slam, only to face a performance of controlled ferocity from the Irish that flattened them 24-6.

Lancaster is eager to distance his side from that result - there are likely to be only five survivors in England's starting XV - but believes they are well equipped to deal with an emotionally charged occasion

"This is a completely different team going to Dublin from 2011, with a completely different mentality," he said.

"That said, playing the Irish in Dublin is a unique challenge. We've got to be able to deal with the emotion of the occasion and still think clearly, making good, accurate decisions.

"That will be the true test of our maturity. It's a great challenge for us.

"Experiences like Johannesburg have definitely made us stronger. In all three of the Tests in South Africa the players learned some lessons about what it takes to get there - we all did.

"Mentally, we've got to be in the right place but that comes from the confidence we build in training."