Hickie focusing on the positives

Ireland may mourn the cruel demise of their Six Nations title dream for some time to come but Denis Hickie is adamant the experience will prove invaluable at the World Cup.

A thumping 51-24 victory over Italy put Ireland in pole position to snatch the championship from France's grasp but the dramatic events that unfolded in Paris left them shaking their heads in disbelief.

Needing 24 points to win, Elvis Vermeulen was awarded a last-gasp try by Irish television match official Simon McDowell that saw Les Bleus retain their crown with a 46-19 triumph over Scotland.

The result brought St Patrick's Day celebrations to a sobering end but Hickie, who was in magnificent form against Italy, insists Ireland will draw strength from their Six Nations misery.

"England, who lost out on several Grand Slams before winning one, are a good example of how you can come back from disappointment a lot stronger," he said.

"Even closer to home, you look at the defeats and near misses Munster had before they won it.

"Maybe the harsh lessons and heartbreak that we endured in this Six Nations will stand us in good stead, not just in next year's championship but more importantly at the World Cup.

"We'll be able to draw on these disappointments and use them to spur us on. This could turn out to be a very valuable championship, despite the pain."

Hickie led the charge as Ireland ran in eight tries at the Stadio Flaminio, overcoming an impressive start from the Azzurri to seize control.

The Leinster winger finished with two, as did Girvan Dempsey, while Simon Easterby, Gordon D'Arcy, Shane Horgan and Ronan O'Gara also crossed in a ruthless display of finishing.

But they also conceded a crucial late try to Roland de Marigny - Andrea Scanavacca converted - that ultimately cost them the championship as it reduced France's target in Paris from 31 points to 24.

After dispatching Italy, Ireland raced back to the team hotel to catch the end of the match at the Stade de France.

Many of the squad gathered next to the bar to watch the drama unfold and an enormous groan rang out when Vermeulen's try was confirmed by McDowell with a late signal failure on the television further heightening the tension.

Skipper Brian O'Driscoll, supported by crutches after suffering a hamstring tear against Italy, looked stunned at the outcome and shook his head before hobbling off.

"I didn't watch the end of the France match. I came in and there were a lot of people at the bar," said Hickie.

"There was nothing I could do watching it so I had a swim and went up to the room. Shane Horgan came in and told me we didn't win the title.

"It was a bizarre day because it's tough to win any Six Nations match so to go to Rome and win by playing so well was pleasing.

"I thought we were very good collectively. It didn't fall for us in the end but we've probably only got ourselves to blame for that.

"We wanted to win the Grand Slam and then the championship but a lot of the guys have been saying you can't depend on other people to do the work for you.

"We had our chances and needed to look after own destiny."

For the second successive year Ireland finished second on points difference and they have now ended the Six Nations as runners-up for five of the last seven championships.

But Hickie insists they will take consolation from the knowledge that this season they could not have given any more in their pursuit of the title.

"It's tough coming second. No one wants to be second - it's the worst place to be," he said.

"We've had a good championship on a number of different levels. We set our stall out that we wanted to win the Grand Slam.

"Our ultimate disappointment is that we didn't achieve that. It often seems in rugby that you have to go through these disappointments before you can really crack it.

"Nothing seems to come easy and maybe there's a reason for that. We're disappointed but we gave it our best shot.

"When the dust settles next week the fact we scored as much as could against Italy will help us sleep a bit easier."