England second-row Dave Attwood will draw on previous occasions when he was "dazzled by the starlight" in a bid to prevent the hostile Millennium Stadium atmosphere getting to him ahead of Friday night's opener in Cardiff.

Much of the talk leading up to Friday's game revolves around England's last trip to Cardiff when they crashed to a 30-3 defeat in the final match of the 2013 championship. Attwood did not feature that day for England - Joe Launchbury and Geoff Parling started - but he is likely to start this time around in what will be his first run out at the Millennium Stadium.

His first experience of the Welsh cauldron came back in 2003 when he watched Bristol's Phil Christophers sin-binned as Joe Worsley and Will Greenwood scored to secure the 26-9 victory for Clive Woodward's side. That England team was packed with experience but the 2015 crop go to Cardiff with an ever-expanding injury list and as underdogs.

For Attwood, he will be focused on winning the battle in the forwards and while he is full of respect for the options Wales have in their pack he insists England must not get "dazzled by the starlight" when they run out in the Millennium Stadium come Friday evening.

"They've got incredible pedigree in their pack at the moment," Attwood said. "Well, across the field they've got some tremendous players. There are a lot of guys who will stand up and be counted when their backs are against the wall. That's the challenge we're facing.

"We may be fresh-faced in comparison to plenty of those guys but we'll find opportunities and find a way to do what we need to do. Some people will look at it in an intimidating light but it's like playing against Richie McCaw and the All Blacks. If you get dazzled by the starlight you get nowhere. You have to treat them as normal blokes who play rugby the same as you. Then it becomes a bit more of a level playing field."

Attwood is likely to be partnered with either George Kruis or Graham Kitchener in England's second-row for Friday's match and although he has just 16 caps, he will be one of the more experienced figures in the team. He claims he will not be "absorbed in the sideshow" of the tribal nature of the fixture and will draw on previous experiences when he let the magnitude of the occasion affect his performance.

"I played for Bath against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium a couple of years ago, a trip we'll hope to be making again before too long," Attwood said. "I remember looking at their line-up and thinking 'Wow, this is awesome isn't it?' The lights in the Aviva Stadium, so many fans, all that noise. I spent all this time focussing on that and then it was 'Oh, we're playing rugby as well. Oh, we've lost by 50 points.'

Dave Attwood takes in Australia © Getty Images

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"That stuff is wonderful in terms of creating memories but the best memory is if you get out there and win the game. Looking at the floodlights and the fans and all the face-painting and listening to the noise and the chanting doesn't win the game. That's one of the reasons why I don't try and pay any attention to it at all. While it's entertaining to look at as a fan, as a rugby player it's not helping me win a line-out or push Davey Wilson."

The last time England secured a Grand Slam was in 2003 with their last title in 2011. Lancaster's men have knocked on the door in the past three years but have finished second on each occasion. If England win in Cardiff on Friday, they will welcome Italy with a new-found confidence but they will need to produce a monumental performance if they are to shut out Warren Gatland's settled Wales side.

Attwood's likely opponents in the second row are Alun Wyn Jones and Jake Ball and, like every England player, will be looking to get one over his opposite number. He claims England will not be dispirited by their injured contingent - in the second-row alone Parling, Ed Slater, Launchbury and Courtney Lawes are all sidelined - and will bring their own game to Friday night's match.

"It's not going to a case of trying to weather the Welsh storm at all. We will go there taking our own intensity. I'm sure from playing Wales at Twickenham, playing them as a schoolboy and going to the Millennium Stadium as a fan I know how passionate they are. I'm sure it will come as no surprise to this squad what they come with. It's going to be a challenge, don't get me wrong, but it's one we're extremely keen to meet.

"They're going to come all guns blazing as they always do. I'm sure it's going to be a pretty ferocious Test match. I'm certainly looking forward to it."