Despite boasting a 100per cent record Martin Johnson’s side have come in for criticism for after the lacklustre 17-12 victory over Italy a fortnight ago.

But Kidney still believes that England are still a force to be threatened with and fully expects them to come out firing at Twickenham.

“Last year there was some negative press over England but they still finished second in the championship,” said Kidney.

“We only just got the better of them last season - and that was at home. Now we're going to Twickenham and they're coming off the back of two wins.”

“England teams are always very strong. They know us very well with Mike Ford having coached the lads before.

“In attack they're very hard to break down – they don't concede too many tries.”

And Kidney was happy his side got a two-week break to reflect on their 33-10 defeat at the hands of France.

“It was good to have the weekend so that we could regroup and take stock. It's handy time in terms of your development,” said Kidney.

“Both sides should be that bit fresher, so space will probably be at even more of a premium. We made the best use of our time and hopefully we'll benefit from it.”