TOMMY BOWE is adamant that talismanic figures like Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell have a great deal more to give the Ireland team in the foreseeable future.

The Ospreys wing, who is due to play against Glasgow tomorrow night, pointed out: “There was a lot of talk prior to the World Cup that this was the last chance for the so-called ‘golden generation’ of Irish rugby but Brian’s (O’Driscoll) already come out and said he wants to carry on for at least another 18 months.

“A lot of the other guys that people are talking about hanging up their boots also want to carry on. At the World Cup they were in the best shape I’ve ever seen them at and they can definitely continue. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a very similar squad of players going forward with one or two younger players coming in as well.”

The disappointment of the quarter-final defeat to Wales was acute but Bowe maintains it won’t be a factor for those who don the green shorts at the 2015 World Cup in England. “While it might have been Brian’s last big chance at the World Cup, the players in four years’ time won’t be thinking that and I’m confident we can challenge in 2015.

“We definitely have the young players coming through. Wales showed the way in the World Cup and their young players really stepped up to the plate. The only problem in Ireland is that when the stars go back to the provinces they always start. Maybe we need to give the youngsters more game time to blood them properly.”

He suggested that in an international context next year’s Six Nations Championship will be a proving ground for those whose World Cup aspirations went unrequited. “In a way it will be no different to other years and we want to do as well as we can. But we’re hurting.

“It’s a massive Six Nations for us as it is all the teams. Every side has a point to prove. None of us won the World Cup, we’ll all have things that we weren’t happy with and all have things to put right.”