Ireland's hopes of securing only a second Grand Slam were destroyed by France's dramatic last-gasp 20-17 triumph at Croke Park on Sunday.

Head coach O'Sullivan must now lift his beleaguered troops for England's arrival on February 24 in a pivotal match for both sides.

Last season Ireland were pipped to the title by France on points difference alone and O'Sullivan insists his team must ready to pounce if Les Bleus slip up again.

'The Six Nations is an intense competition and it will be a challenge to pick ourselves up from a defeat like that,' he said.

'But we must respect the fact there's still a Triple Crown there for the taking if we can win our next two games against England and Scotland.

'We could possibly win the championship as well. Last year we lost one game in the Six Nations and we ended up finishing second on points.

'We don't know what will happen. All we can do is plug away and try to win our last three games and see what happens then.

'The most definite way to win the championship is to win five games but who knows what will happen.

'Grand Slams are rare and there's always a good chance the winners won't have done the Grand Slam as well. It's still in our own hands to a certain degree.

'We must respect that and rise to it. We have 10 days to our next game when we play England.'