Room to improve but O’Connell is keeping the faith

The jury may remain in session on this Irish team, but Paul O’Connell’s belief in the potential of the national selection has not wavered, even if he accepted yesterday there was room for the graph to shoot upwards.

Ireland go into Saturday’s date with Italy on the back of two straight losses and three consecutive reversals at the Aviva Stadium, where they have lost six of their nine fixtures to date.

That last statistic is embarrassing for a side that claimed a Grand Slam only three seasons ago and one which looked on track to penetrate deeper into a World Cup than ever before until the deflation of Wellington late last year.