Inside View by Brian O'Driscoll:The basis for this win was set down in Limerick when we got together for the first time with the new management for the week-long camp. It was there that the groundwork was done and we embraced new expectations.
About 45 of us were down in Limerick and the work started quickly. We flew straight in from Toulouse. It was nice to get away from the Leinster scene having been on the receiving end of such a hiding.
On the Monday morning there were meetings and everyone spoke, the management introduced themselves and gave us their ideas.
In the afternoon, we got into training and it was mainly based on organisational stuff. One thing that Eddie (O'Sullivan) was adamant about was that we were not going to train pointlessly.
He wanted us to set goals before we went out and try and achieve them in training. I think that really worked for us when we came together to prepare for this match last week.
We weren't out there for two and a half hours just slogging around. People laugh about the idea of a hooter that we now use to break down training sessions into short, intensive bursts focusing on one aspect. You have a set time to get it right and that focuses the mind and makes it easier to concentrate.
The evidence of that could be seen on the pitch in the match. We tried to develop the game plan that we used to have, be more organised and I think that also showed. Eddie is very thorough about the patterns that we use.
You know where you are supposed to be three and four plays ahead. You just have to play rugby after that. He doesn't infringe upon individual expression but there is a little more of a structure there.
The dressingroom scene was pretty low-key before the match. When Mick (Galwey) talks everyone listens. He just commands that sort of respect. The thing about great captains is that they don't speak for the sake of speaking.
When they have a point to make, they speak up and that's Mick in a nutshell. He spoke to us about taking the game to Wales, that if we, as a team, didn't front up then we would have been dishonest to ourselves.
The Welsh are renowned for being hard boys and you have to meet fire with fire. We needed to compete physically and the pack certainly did that.
Perhaps the most surprising thing when you look at the scoreline is that everything didn't go to plan; far from it.
In the first half there were quite a few handling errors, we turned over ball and weren't accurate enough in our execution at times. Crucially, though, we did not lose our patience. That was important. We kept them pinned in there half, maintained a strong grip on possession and Humphs (David Humphreys) kept knocking over penalties.
The tries might not have come initially, but we were still picking away and notching up a nice scoreline. That's one aspect that we wanted to improve - when you get into the opposition 22, score every time. That was pleasing about our performance.
I was happy to do the nitty gritty work. That does give you pleasure whether it's mopping up a tap down from a restart of just helping to secure possession on the deck.
That time in the first half when I went for the chip and chase I contemplated kicking it back inside because I thought Humphs was there but then thought I'll have a go myself.
I thought that if the ball bounced awkwardly I might get in and the worst-case scenario would have been a 22 drop-out. Daffyd (James) covered it well. For Keith's (Gleeson) try, I saw a bit of space in behind the Welsh backs, got to the grubber kick first, hacked it on again.
When I did get my hands on the ball I thought I was in, but was suddenly caught from behind. I was aware that Hendo (Rob Henderson) was close by and two other Irish players. I nearly cleared Gleeso's head with the flip up but he managed to take it.
The reaction in the dressingroom was one of pleasure. I think Eddie was pleased because of the pressure on him, through no fault of his own. It would be the same for any coach coming in. He was pleased not just with the result but also the powerful performance.
Twickenham is a different prospect. England's organisation was fantastic on Saturday. They are so hard to break down. You have to be patient.
We'll sit down and analyse this game when we come in on Sunday week and then go out and give it holly against England.
(In conversation with John O'Sullivan)
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