He has crossed continents and had three children — a fourth arrives next month — since scoring the last England try in Dublin. Steve Thompson galloped over for a consolation touchdown when Martin Johnson's team saw their Grand Slam dreams blown away at Lansdowne Road eight years ago. It emphasises how much of a graveyard the Aviva Stadium has become for England, who have crossed the line only four times and recorded just one win there since Johnson's men completed their clean sweep in 2003. Steve Thompson's 2011 consolation touchdown is the last try scored by England in Dublin Thompson scored as Martin Johnson's men saw Grand Slam hopes destroyed in 24-8 defeat It's now six years and 15 games since Ireland last lost a Six Nations game at home when Owen Farrell kicked four penalties in a 12-6 England win. In 2011, the visitors stumbled into a classic Irish ambush with Thompson the back-up hooker on the bench and injured greats Mike Tindall and Lewis Moody sitting white-faced in the crowd as they watched the 24-8 defeat unfold. The bad news for the 2019 generation of Red Rose warriors is that Ireland are now 'the complete package' according to Thompson. 'You couldn't pick a worse time to play them,' adds Moody. Lewis Moody (right in grey suit) could only watch the carnage from the stands, injured 'I didn't know I was the last try-scorer — I thought we'd have scored since then,' admitted Thompson, now based in Dubai with interests in the construction industry. 'Ireland that year hadn't had a particularly good Six Nations and you could see a number of the lads thinking "We can turn up and turn them over." 'The warning signs were there all week. We talked about it, the experienced people in the squad told the younger lads they'll come out like madmen, if the ball's on the floor they'll boot it down the field, it'll be raining and that's the game they want with a lot of high balls coming in. It's exactly what happened. Johnno was tearing out any hair he had left. 'It shows the mentality of their team. We went over trying to get a Grand Slam and they're that passionate a side. Ireland have turned things round massively in the last few years, they're now a great team. In the old days it was more passion and they weren't as skillful but now they're the full package. They've got the skill-set to go with it.' Former internationals Moody and Thompson are full of praise for the current Ireland squad No-one underestimates Ireland now. The defending champions are 4/1-on favourites with some bookmakers, but Thompson and Moody can detect some angles of attack if England can get on the front foot in midfield. 'If you don't get over the front line from first phase and get any momentum you're going to get smashed by that Irish team,' said Thompson. 'You need your backs to get on that front foot. 'The first game of the season is always the hardest because nobody knows exactly what they're going to get. First game you can make silly mistakes and be trying to find your feet.' The drama of a hotly-contested Premiership doesn't help either. Ireland's centrally-contracted players have been kept fresh for the big games ahead. 'It could be the worst time ever to play them,' laughed Moody, without a Dublin victory in his 71-cap England career. England return to Ireland on Saturday in the Six Nations, with the hosts clear favourites Thompson and Moody say Ireland - odds-on for the tournament - are the 'complete package' 'Their players are rested in the Pro-14 and that's a big contrast to the hard grind of the Premiership, they're going well in Europe and they've got two recent wins against New Zealand behind them. Now they know they can do it and as a player that give you a lot of confidence. 'It's always difficult for England over there because of the weight of history they have behind them too. 'You go over there and there all smiling and friendly, I had Geordan Murphy as a housemate who was great, but we didn't understand what it meant to them in terms of the relationship between the countries and what happened in the past. As Englishmen you don't have that to draw on in the same way. 'England have got to think about what they can do. They have got a very exciting back three and Jonny May is in absolutely top-class form. When you've got that it's important to get over the gain line and someone like Billy Vunipola being fit again is important.' Ireland kicked the ball 30 times in last November's win over New Zealand — trusting their chasers to put the All Blacks under pressure and their defensive line to halt the kick return. Farrell and Ben Youngs — sin-binned for throwing the ball away in that 2011 debacle — will take them on in the same areas. The former England stars feel the current team must be built around Owen Farrell 'In Owen Farrell you've got a very astute organiser and thinker about the game — he does that very well,' said Moody. 'How you can turn those kicks into pressure kicks and regain the ball will be a key. The last thing you want to do against Ireland is to give them easy ball to run back at you, find holes and exploit weaknesses and tired bodies. 'It's all about game management, knowing when to kick and why you're kicking — just make sure that you're not just kicking for the sake of it.' Get it wrong and you'll end up kicking yourself. That's what England felt like after Dublin 2011 when they half-heartedly toasted winning the Championship having blown their Grand Slam chance. 'You want to have a few beers and we'd actually won the title but we hadn't won what we wanted,' said Thompson. 'It was a weird feeling. To have the opportunity to win a Grand Slam and for that to happen was a just a massive boot in the nuts.' All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility