Wallace, who is nicknamed 'Pumbaa' after the warthog in the Lion King, is determined to get to next year's World Cup and be in a position to play. He went uncapped at the 2003 World Cup, which he admitted was "frustrating but a great experience to be involved in the squad," but 2007 looks sets to be a big year for Wallace.
His wife Christina is expecting the couple's first child in January, Ulster have the Magners League and the Heineken Cup on their minds, his first experience of the Six Nations could be around the corner and there is the little matter of the World Cup next September.
Leinster and Ireland duo Shane Horgan and Jamie Heaslip tangle with Islanders replacement Alesana Tuilagi, who is a team-mate of Geordan Murphy's at Leicester, during the second half of Ireland's final Test of 2006.
Heaslip, 22, spoke after making his senior debut for Ireland and revealed: "During the anthems I always manage to catch people I know in the crowd when I'm looking round and it's invariably my dad - don't ask me how but it's uncanny!"
The Leinster number eight added: "I didn't really worry about the game until we got back from our lineout practice. Then I started to get the old jitters. Everything settled when I got out onto the pitch for the warm-up. I was good to go. The rest is a bit of a blur.
"(I felt) it went fine except for that dropped pass at the end. I wouldn't have minded a try to mark my first cap. It was a step up for any level I've played - very quick. It took me about 20 minutes to really settle into the game."
John Hayes and Frankie Sheahan get set for a scrum against the Pacific Islanders. After battling back from a career-threatening neck injury last season, Sheahan wasstarting in Ireland's front row alongside Hayes, his Munster team-mate, for the first time since the 55-6 victory over the USA in November 2004.
Only ten of Sheahan's 27 Test caps have come as a starter, and he has been very unfortunate to be an unused replacement on 24 occasions since 2000. The Toronto-born hooker will hope his displays in the November internationals and his form for Munster over the next two months will have him in contention for a start against Wales in Ireland's RBS 6 Nations opener in February.
Ireland's Paul O'Connell competes for a lineout ball with Pacific Islanders flanker Daniel Leo. Reflecting on the past weeks' matches, O'Connell said: "Everything is a battle when you play Southern Hemisphere teams. The intensity is so high - there are no soft rucks, lineouts or scrums. You have to work very hard for everything. The step up in pace is huge."
The Munster captain should be back in action with his province next Sunday when they take on Connacht in the Magners League (Thomond Park, kick-off 5pm).
Peter Stringer gets ready to feed the ball in to an Irish scrum during Sunday's final international at the old Lansdowne Road. Stringer is now joint-second on the Irish all-time caps list having gained his 72nd cap against the Islanders - Ulster's David Humphreys retired on 72.
Leinster lock Malcolm O'Kelly bagged his eighth Test try while taking the caps record to 83 at the weekend.
The 19-year-old Luke Fitzgerald, the youngest player to play for Ireland since Alistair McKibbin in 1977, clears his lines during Sunday's encounter. Fitzgerald, who only made his Leinster senior debut in September, played on the right wing and at full-back during the eight-try win.
Being realistic to know that his second cap may be some time away, the young Dubliner said afterwards: "The task for me at the moment is to try and get into the Leinster squad. You see the amount of Leinster backs here in the Irish squad, there's a huge Leinster involvement there. Being involved at interprovincial level is going to be hard enough for me and that's my focus for the immediate future."
Ireland's centre/winger Shane Horgan hands off Kameli Ratuvou of the Pacific Islanders during the second half at Lansdowne Road. Horgan has had a 2006 to remember with Ireland - from his two crucial tries in the Triple Crown-clinching win over England to his scores against South Africa and the Islanders in the sucessful Guinness Autumn Series.
After a bruising encounter with Pat Lam's Islanders, the Drogheda man said: "There were a few bumps and bangs. They are big guys and they hit very hard - and they hit high in the chest. So when you're hit, you know about it!"
Horgan dives over for his 18th Test try, which means he has now gone ahead of long-time record holder Brendan Mullin (17) in Ireland's list of all-time top try scorers. Thanks to a haul of five tries in his last nine internationals, Horgan is now third behind his Leinster colleagues Denis Hickie (27) and Brian O'Driscoll (28).
Commenting on his second half effort against the Islanders, which Peter Stringer helped to tee up with a crossfield kick, Horgan admitted: "It was great vision from Strings. It was really a scrappy bit of play leading up to it and he saw that they had all come up in defence and kicked it in behind.
"I got on the end of it and there was a bit of a bump (a tackle from Seru Rabeni) and in for a try."
Ulster's Isaac Boss, who normally operates as a scrum half, showed his versatility by coming on and slotting in on Ireland's right wing during the latter stages of the second half.
Ulster assistant coach Allen Clarke was heartened to see the contribution that Boss and seven other Ulster players made to Ireland's successful Guinness Autumn Series. Clarke said: "It has been a fantastic autumn for Ireland and I thought all the Ulster players involved did fantastically well.
"They will bring a confidence and vibrancy back and that will boost those players who have been working hard here (with Ulster)."
The Irish players huddle for a team talk and to take on liquids late on in Sunday's victory over the Islanders. One of the many players to emerge with credit from the November internationals was Leinster's Denis Hickie, who notched tries against Australia and the Islanders.
The 30-year-old winger said: "It's been a great series for us. We prepared very well for it, we had a tough fixture list with South Africa, Australia and the Pacific Islanders and we're very happy.
"But there will be a lot of pressure on by the time the Six Nations comes around."
**All photos by Inpho Photography**
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