Injuries didn’t help either with Simon Zebo now ruled out of the remainder of the tournament with a broken foot and both Jonny Sexton (hamstring) and Mike McCarthy (medial ligament) out of the trip to Murrayfield next Sunday.

England’s victory puts them in pole position in the RBS 6 Nations title but O’Brien remains adamant that Ireland can still claim their first crown since 2009, provided they lower their error count.

“There's still a lot to play for. The Six Nations is and it isn't out of our own hands,” he said.

“If we leave ourselves in the best possible shape, there will be a slip-up somewhere for the other teams down the line.

"We're looking forward to getting back on the horse against Scotland. It's a good game for both teams. “Our errors, as a team and as individuals, stand out from the England game. They cost us.

“A few of them happened within minutes of each other and put us under a bit of pressure and they kicked a couple of scores from that.”