Heaslip sounds rallying call

JAMIE HEASLIP is fast growing into the role of Ireland’s first-choice number eight, but admitted the mood in the Irish dressing room was “pretty miserable.”

He said: “You expect to win at home, and it was very disappointing to lose because we didn’t do ourselves justice. Triple Crown dreams are gone down the tubes and we only have pride to play for now.

“It wasn’t the nicest place to be, although I don’t think we played particularly badly. It came down to the fact that Wales were pretty clever with their possession; they took their chances and they closed out the game fairly well,” he said.