Although I thought all the time that Ireland would win in the end, prior to the game I thought wed win by more. The nerves were palpable on both sides and it showed in the performances.

There were exceptions though. I thought Brian ODriscoll was fantastic and his defence especially was brilliant.

Jonny OConnor also stood out, as well as Peter Stringer who got the better of his opposite number Harry Ellis all day, while Ronan OGara controlled the game perfectly.

Although people were saying it was a much better performance from England, I thought they were very nervous indeed and their handling was poor at times. They didnt look to be playing with any real confidence.

Charlie Hodgson was the exception, however. I was really pleased to see him playing well after the unfair criticism he has had.

That game was certainly Irelands biggest hurdle so far, but there are even tougher tests to come now against France and Wales. I would like us to perform better than we did here, but the truth is if we play poorly in both games and still win, nobody will care.

France are up next and they played very well in the first half against Wales on Saturday before going totally off the boil. I dont think theyre organised properly at the moment, but they are often at their most dangerous when they have suffered a defeat.

As for the Welsh, theyre flying high. Theyre taking incredible chances and its really paying off.