WITH three provinces safely through to the quarter finals, the Heineken Cup is benched and attention switches to the Six Nations.
First up for Ireland is Wales on Sunday afternoon.
Four months on from that devastating World Cup exit at the hands of the Welsh, a rematch in the Aviva offers a chance for catharsis perhaps.
That’s how Seán O’Brien sees it. The Tullow man, who was Europe’s best rugby player last year, is focusing on the positives and not dwelling on the past. He, and the Irish team, have to move on from the pain of that defeat and focus on the task at hand. It’s a new year and a new competition.
“I think it’s an exciting time for Irish rugby because we are really hurting from the World Cup exit and I think we did let ourselves down a little bit that day against Wales. The lads will want to put that right so it’s an exciting time ahead and we will look forward to it all over again,” he says.
His first World Cup wasn’t an entirely bad experience despite ending in the bitter taste of defeat which lingers. He feels that they didn’t do themselves justice and had so much more to offer in the competition.
“It was a brilliant experience over there and we played some brilliant rugby and we really showed what we can do at times but having said that we went over there and we didn’t really achieve anything. When you go over to a World Cup you go over to win it,” O’Brien says.
After a successful Heineken Cup pool stage, he now has to make the transition to the national team and change from playing one style of rugby to Declan Kidney’s game plan.
“The transition is a little difficult because Leinster have a different game plan than Ireland have but that’s just you as an individual getting your head wrapped round those things and getting the knowledge right on both fronts.”
“You are training so much and you have meetings and video work so you never really have a dull day. You get a day off, one day out of the fi ve, as well so you can do what you like. I’ll probably come back home here for those days but different lads do different things and some lads stay up here [in Dublin].
“You’re not moping around the hotel for six or seven hours a day, you’re out training all the time and working hard. As well as that you’re getting you’re head right for all these games coming up.”
Many accolades have some Seán O’Brien’s way over the last two years but what does the man who was Ireland’s player of the year in 2011 and one of the World Cup’s top five star players believe are his best attributes?
“I think my ball carrying is probably my strength. I think in defence I’m good at organizing hopefully…well I’d like to think I am anyway! I’d always pride myself on my workrate and on not being lazy.”
The pain of that Welsh defeat hasn’t gone away and it will be to the forefront of so many minds, inside and outside the Irish camp, over the coming days. Another powerful motivation is being a team and winning for each other and the fans.
“Sitting in a changing room after winning a big game is one of the best feelings; the whole part of being a team and being together and winning things and listening to 40 or 50 thousand people cheering you on and putting a smile on their faces as well is a real big motivator.”
With all these aspects coming together Seán and the Irish team are determined to put right what went wrong in Wellington. Wales have been warned.
Six Nations Ireland v Wales Aviva Stadium, Sunday, 3pm