Soul-searching for O’Sullivan in lead-up to Six Nations

THE past nine months have been hugely positive for Irish rugby.

Defeat by France on the opening day of the Six Nations was followed by four wins in a row and a Triple Crown.

There followed a couple of hiccups in South Africa in the summer but these have been avenged to some extent by the long awaited victory over the Springboks a few weeks ago. That was the first of three worthy victories in the autumn internationals.