O'Sullivan demands Ireland turn up the heat

IT will be icy cold, a 60-kilometre northerly wind that will sweep down the pitch from the Havelock Square end and there could even be a few snow showers.

But Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivan is demanding a performance of style and quality against Romania at Lansdowne Road today (12.30pm) following the flops to both New Zealand and Australia over the past fortnight.

The Romanians arrived in Dublin on the back of a 22-20 victory over Canada in Bucharest last week. It's not a result that will have the rugby world shaking in its boots but at least it demonstrates "The Oaks", as they are now being called, have progressed from the days when they were among the game's whipping boys.