Ireland lost at home to England in the RBS 6 Nations for the first time in a decade last time out with handling errors a feature of their performance, making no less than seven in the first 24 minutes.

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.”