O'Mahony: 'We're not playing tennis or golf, it's a physical game'

Ireland Captain Peter O'Mahony ready to get stuck in as they go for back-to-back championships.

ALL ON THE LINE: After a tough and stressful week Ireland Captain Peter O'Mahony will be hoping to lead the team to back-to-back championships. Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Defeat in Twickenham last Saturday, and the lost opportunity of a back-to-back Grand Slam, has colonised thoughts all week. Rare though the taste was, it wasn’t the first time that Ireland have struggled on the biggest of days in recent memory.

The disappointment of losing that World Cup quarter-final to New Zealand last October stands as an uncomfortable companion piece in that sense and last year’s stuttering effort against a 14-man England held similarities even if the result went Ireland’s way.