Leinster centre Brian O'Driscoll is determined that Ireland make amends for a poor performance against Romania last time out, when they go head to head with Russia tomorrow.
Ireland posted a laboured 39-8 victory over Romania a fortnight ago in a friendly international at Thomond Park, Limerick.
It was a match intended as a valuable warm-up for tomorrow's World Cup qualifier in the eastern Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. Instead it has left coach Eddie O'Sullivan and his players needing to put right a few wrongs.
O'Driscoll admitted: "We played very poorly in the second half against Romania and OK in the first. There were far too many errors, turnovers and missed tackles and it was exactly what we didn't want. "We wanted a solid performance, no frills, and we didn't get that, so perhaps we put ourselves under a little bit of pressure. That's our own doing and it's our opportunity again to put it right on Saturday," he said. O'Driscoll added: "I must admit I don't know a lot about the Russians but I expect they'll be in much the same vein as Romania. So that game should prove very useful in this context". Coach O'Sullivan is certainly hoping so as he holds the Russians in high regard. "We think we know what they're about but when we get there on Saturday we'll see what they're really about," he said. "They have a very pacy full-back, quite a big athletic back-row with South African influence in it and they can kick their points as well. "There's not too much wrong with them as a team. They're well organised". PA