O'Driscoll raises the bar

Six Nations:  Brian O'Driscoll believes Ireland are underachieving and their recent string of Triple Crowns is an unacceptable return.

Ireland have finished runners-up in the Six Nations for five of the last seven years, despite possessing a squad regarded as the nation's 'golden generation'.

An embarrassing group exit at the World Cup has added to their reputation as also-rans, but O'Driscoll hopes success will come in this season's championship.

The Lions centre said: "It's disappointing we haven't won a Six Nations, of course we're striving for silverware.

"It has been great to win three Triple Crowns in four seasons but we didn't win the title and that's what we want to do.

"It feels that at times we've probably left something behind but there's always the current season to put that right."

Ireland failed to qualify for the World Cup quarter-finals, finishing a bewildering nine points behind group winners Argentina.

Many reputations took a battering at the tournament but O'Driscoll insists the players' self-belief remains intact.

He said: "We have a certain element of confidence in the side. We know that when we play well we're a hard side to beat.

"It's just a matter of finding the form that we showed in last season's Six Nations but which passed us by in the World Cup.

"We'll be there or thereabouts in certain games and hopefully it will come down to the final weekend with us in the shake-up.

"The players have a point to prove only to themselves. You will always have hype and speculation but you can't control those things.

"What you can control are your own performances. We are capable of great performances, we just need to produce them."   PA