O'Connell proud of integrity of performance

Irish second row Paul O’Connell has praised the spirit of the squad for the manner in which they overcame a run of poor form to deliver a massive performance in Auckland last Saturday.

Having lost all four warm-up games and struggled to beat a predominantly amateur USA side, Ireland were very much underdogs facing the Tri Nations champions.

Writing in his O2 World Cup blog, O’Connell suggests that Saturday’s performance was no fluke and the players knew they had it in them.

“The victory over Australia was brilliant primarily because we played to our potential. That was hugely satisfying.

“It was very frustrating not to be hitting our straps in the build-up matches and the first pool game against the USA.

“It's a great feeling to have done that.

“It's the same for any team that win, lose or draw, you can look at the integrity of the performance and be satisfied you've delivered on that aspect.

Along with centre Gordon D’Arcy, O’Connell emerged as an injury worry after picking up a hamstring strain against the Wallabies but the lock reassured that a scan in Rotorua revealed it was nothing more than a mild strain.

Whether or not the Munster man is selected to face Russia on Sunday remains to be seen with Declan Kidney likely to rest some players after Italy ran nine tries in their 53-17 demolition of the Russians.

For now O’Connell is focused on settling into the latest base in the picturesque surroundings of Lake Taupo where he is sharing a room with Munster teammates Keith Earls and Conor Murray and ensuring the team maintain the standard set in last week’s historic victory.

“There's no question of getting carried away on the strength of the result.

“We have put ourselves in a position to qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament but to achieve that goal requires us to back up Saturday's performance with two of similar quality against Russia and Italy.”