O'Driscoll's focus is on hitting the ground running

There is a saying that the difference between great players and good players is that when great players don't play great, they still play good while others play badly. Brian O'Driscoll, the great player on the Irish team, has been playing good rugby in the first three Six Nations matches.

But in the absence of his line-breaking runs, cameo flourishes and generally performing the breathless feats of running against quality opposition, he has not let the other aspects of his game depart. O'Driscoll tackles like a flanker, rucks and rips turnover ball like a prop. He consistently grinds with the rest. If there is a creative back-line run going, he's there too, as he was for Andrew Trimble's try against France in Paris.

But O'Driscoll appears to typify the Irish team at the moment. Having won two matches in the Championship, there are still serious faces in camp. Given the quality of the players in the side, the dominant and engaging style of rugby they can play has been largely absent. Winning is no longer enough. Beating teams with panache is what people are demanding.That view is seeping into the side and yesterday as Eddie O'Sullivan and O'Driscoll set out their stall for Scotland's visit, they acknowledged they, ahem, still hadn't found what they were looking for.

"I think we still have some way to go to where we feel our potential lies," says the Irish captain. "I think some parts of the Welsh game were excellent but I think there were also parts we've to improve on. I think we have another gear to kick into.

"It's not so much frustration. We've gone so well at training, it's the fact we can't put it into a game. I suppose in essence it is a little frustrating. But we have to have a little patience. The sides we have played against have been destructive, although we did get it together against France and I thought we were very good against Wales. We were very good at implementing our game plan. I think it's coming a bit with each game and I hope we can take it on another step on Saturday."

O'Sullivan, with his selection of the same side, must too believe in what the players have achieved. His view is that, like all the other sides in the championship, Ireland is a team in transition. While the Six Nations is the annual party piece, the World Cup is the end point. "There is no compelling reason to make changes," he said yesterday.

Player and coach have always sung from the same hymn sheet and both have also recognised Ireland's slow starts to matches makes life difficult. The downside is they have to chase. The good side is they have shown themselves to be an 80- or 90-minute side. "There is always concern. You want to start well," says O'Driscoll. "It's not easy playing catch-up rugby. There is no reason why we shouldn't get off at the B of the Bang like other teams we've played against. It is something we will certainly be concentrating on next weekend.

"If we can start well it will give us a proper performance. We certainly don't want to give quality teams a five-, six-, 10-point lead. Pressurised rugby like that can make you go two ways. It can make you play better or it can make you make mistakes and make the game tougher for you. We're certainly wary of it."

With Scotland's in-your-face game, Ireland know the type of contest to expect. The creative department in the Irish team will again face a challenge with opponents all over them. O'Sullivan called Scotland the team of the championship so far.

"It (defence) has been the backbone to their couple of victories against France and England," says the Irish captain. "It's a well-known phrase that defence wins games and I think if ever there is a clear example it was against the English. Scotland were so difficult to play against. Even when the ball was in rucks, their counter-rucking just made it very messy and uneasy for England and didn't give them the platform they thrive on. So I expect the exact same treatment for ourselves. They are hard physical players. Smart defenders too. It's our job to go out this week and decide which are the best plays to break the side down and try to do exactly that on Saturday afternoon."

That bodes well for sound tactics, if not for cosmetics. But that's O'Driscoll, the pragmatist as much as the conjurer.