Having lost to England in Dublin in their previous match, Ireland’s chances of clinching the RBS 6 Nations title are looking increasingly small.

But O’Driscoll is adamant that the manner in which they created numerous try-scoring opportunities is a reason to be buoyant ahead of their next clash with France.

"One of the most frustrating? Sure. One of the most shocking? Probably. But embarrassing? No. I've played in games where we created nothing and were beaten out the gate,” he told the Irish Independent.

"But we created so much, so I know it's not going to be all doom and gloom. Doom and gloom was New Zealand, 60-0, where we didn't look as if we would ever score a try.

"We created a huge amount in that first half against Scotland and just butchered the final pass three or four times. It's those things in Test matches that are the difference.

“For us to be taken seriously as a quality Test team, we have to be consistent every time we pull on the jersey. We haven't done that in a number of years.

“That is a great disappointment since [the Grand Slam in] 2009. We've had big performances and then very disappointing ones to follow.”