Mike Tindall hopes the "buzz" of England's victory over Ireland in their final warm-up match will help propel the side to World Cup glory in New Zealand.

England, bidding to appear in a third successive World Cup Final, completed their preparations for rugby union's showpiece tournament with a 20-9 win against Ireland at Lansdowne Road here on Saturday.

Tindall, a member of the England side that won the 2003 World Cup under the captaincy of Martin Johnson, now the team's manager, was in buoyant mood after what was the Red Rose outfit's first victory in Dublin for eight years.

"It's massive, you can't underestimate the value of going over there (New Zealand) with a win," Tindall, England's captain on Saturday in the absence of injured flank Lewis Moody, told reporters.

Victory saw England return to winning ways after a 19-9 defeat away to Wales, whom they'd previously beaten 23-19 in their opening warm-up encounter at Twickenham.

It also made some amends for England's 24-8 Lansdowne Road loss in March that cost Johnson's Six Nations champions a Grand Slam.

"Having lost here in the Six Nations and then come through and turned it round on them (Ireland), everyone will get on there (the plane) a little bit buzzing," said the 32-year-old-Tindall, who equalled Will Carling's record of most caps for an England centre with his 72nd appearance on Saturday.

England, beaten by South Africa in the 2007 Final after Tindall missed the tournament with a broken leg, have a potentially tricky pool opener against Argentina, third in France four years ago, in Dunedin on September 10.

But Tindall added: "Hopefully that buzzing will grow and we can hit the ground running in that Argentina week and hopefully it can continue growing through the tournament."

The veteran midfielder was equally excited by the impact of centre partner Manu Tuilagi, who marked his second Test appearance with his second international try, shrugging off Keith Earls for a fifth-minute score that sent England on the way to victory.

It now seems the duo, the 13th midfield partnership tried by England in Johnson's 35 Tests in charge, will line-up against Argentina and Tindall was delighted to be alongside the 20-year-old Samoa-born powerhouse.

"It's great playing next to him. If you're in any doubt just give him the ball! He's a physical specimen who can create anything from nothing," he said.

England's victory is unlikely to have worried World Cup favourites Australia and New Zealand, who fought out a thrilling Tri-Nations decider which the Wallabies won 25-20 in Brisbane earlier Saturday.

But Johnson said England's performance had fully vindicated the decision to play a warm-up match against Ireland so close to the World Cup.

"It's a tough place to come and win and that's why we picked it when we were planning our warm-up campaign. They (Ireland) are very proud and don't like losing to us. This has just demonstrated to us, if we had any doubts, that if we execute what we said we would, it's effective," he said.

Meanwhile Johnson added he expected all of his 30-man World Cup squad to be on the plane when England flew out to New Zealand on Monday.

England insisted the absence from Saturday's match of loose forwards Nick Easter and Tom Wood (both calf) was precautionary while wing Mark Cueto, who suffered a back spasm against Ireland, should be fit to face Argentina.

AFP