Brian's Blog: Rugby Hub, 'Ballsy' Best And The Leinster Eight

Sidelined Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll brings us up to date with his progress in training, and talks about two off-field engagements he had over the weekend - 'the Rugby Hub' at the Aviva Stadium and the IRFU Charitable Trust Ball in the Burlington Hotel.

My involvement with 'the Rugby Hub' during last weekend's match at the Aviva stadium was an interesting exercise and in common with most first time ventures will benefit from a few tweaks.

In terms of relevancy for the supporters, conducting the interviews closer to kick-off and in particular as close as possible after the final whistle, might be preferable for all concerned.

It was good to catch up with Fla (Jerry Flannery), while I have done a few gigs with Mark Horgan before and find him very relaxed in that role.

I thought Ireland played very well in the first half to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. The ballsy decision by Rory Best to go for the lineout from which he scored a try, epitomised his captaincy.

You're looking for leaders to be exactly that and react to the ebb and flow of the game.

I trained on Saturday and Sunday and also took in the France v England match. There's no doubt that their confidence is building, and rightly so based on the performance in Paris. They'll have a proper go at us in Twickenham this weekend.

I attended the IRFU Charitable Trust Ball on Friday night, where Jack Kyle and I were presented with an award. Risteard Cooper was MC and while I managed to avoid humiliating myself, I think it's fair to say his repartee had more humour. I was trying to survive.

I have a fitness session this afternoon and because of the 'A' interprovincial against Connacht (on Wednesday) there are only eight of us, which means no hiding place.

Unfortunately that number includes Fionn Carr, Isa Nacewa and Ian Madigan, who are ferocious trainers, so I have a feeling that Joe (Schmidt) is going to find it pretty easy to spot me!

Ireland v Scotland Aviva Stadium FanPic

Speaking ahead of Ireland's final RBS 6 Nations match against Italy, hooker Rory Best said: "We took a lot of positives from the France game, we'll take those forward and build on them. We can potentially finish third in the Championship and we're looking to end the campaign with a good win in Rome."

Speaking ahead of Ireland's upcoming RBS 6 Nations encounter with France, prop Mike Ross said: "We were enormously frustrated after the Scottish game. We're playing at home (this Saturday), it's a big source of pride for us. We want to get back to winning ways. Even though the Championship is gone, it's our home patch and you want to win every time you pull on the green jersey."

Irish Rugby TV caught up with Jenny Murphy at the Ireland Women's Sevens training camp. We spoke to the centre about the pool draw for the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow, the difference between Sevens training and regular training and we look forward to the game against France at Ashbourne RFC on Friday.

Speaking ahead of Ireland's upcoming RBS 6 Nations clash with France, hooker Rory Best said: "We still have two games left to play and we have to make sure we finish well. It's going to be a tough challenge against France. But we're back at home, it's a sell-out and we need to make sure we put away the chances we create more efficiently than we have done."