© David Rogers/Getty Images

The World Cup squad announcements brought intrigue and controversy to both the English and Irish camps ahead of their final warm-up clash at Twickenham. For England, there was the inclusion of cross-code star Sam Burgess at the expense of Luther Burrell, and the omission of Danny Cipriani. On the Irish side, there was no space for experienced wing Andrew Trimble, while they plumped for just two scrum-halves. Now all that remains is for head coaches Stuart Lancaster and Joe Schmidt to settle on their premier XVs ahead of World Cup kick-off in a little over a fortnight's time.

Team news

Centre Brad Barritt earns his first England start since last November, partnering the livewire Jonathan Joseph in the midfield. Barritt and Joseph become the 13th different centre partnership in the Lancaster era in a team that contains five changes from the one that fell to France in Paris, with Tom Wood, Geoff Parling, Ben Morgan and Anthony Watson also starting.

Ireland have wheeled out the big guns for their first foray onto English soil since suffering a narrow 13-10 defeat in February last year. The first-choice back-row of Peter O'Mahony, Sean O'Brien and Jamie Heaslip are reunited for the first time since the Six Nations, with standout half-backs Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton also in tandem. The two notable omissions are prop Cian Healy and fullback Rob Kearney, with Schmidt refusing to risk either in what is sure to be a full-blooded Test.

Key head-to-head

After all the debate surrounding England's 12-13 partnership, it'll be worth keeping an eye on how Barritt and Joseph perform at Twickenham. The two have never started a Test together, but will line up opposite the scarcely more experienced Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne on Saturday. With both packs almost at full strength and likely to grind each other to a halt, any flair behind them could prove to be the difference.

Key stats

*Ireland last won at Twickenham in 2010, claiming a narrow 20-16 victory at HQ.

*Paul Grayson is England's record points-scorer against the Irish, slotting 23 against them in March 1996.

*Of players still active in the game, skipper Paul O'Connell is Ireland's most-capped player against England, having made 12 appearances.

Odds

Unibet are offering an England victory at 7/20, while an Ireland win is priced at 11/5.

Weather

Saturday morning looks set to be a case of sunshine and showers, but by kick-off at 2.30pm it should be nothing more than an overcast afternoon with temperatures of around 16 degrees celsius.

Prediction

Ireland were stung by a brutal Wales in Dublin last Saturday and arrive in London with their big guns trained on England. For their part, the World Cup hosts looked shaky as they slumped to defeat by France in their last outing. But back on home soil, England should have just enough to see off Ireland by a meagre three-point margin.