Brian O'Driscoll

O'Driscoll expecting Irish response

Ireland were the dominant team in world rugby in 2018, winning the Six Nations Grand Slam and defeating world champions New Zealand.

But this year has been a different story, with a humbling 57-15 reverse to England in Saturday's World Cup warm-up at Twickenham providing cause for concern.

Yet former Ireland star O'Driscoll is backing Joe Schmidt's men to respond, potentially starting with back-to-back fixtures against Wales before the tournament in Japan.

Tana Umaga and Brian O'Driscoll bury the hatchet

O'Driscoll admitted he still carries regrets over the fallout from Umaga and Keven Mealamu's off the ball tackle that left him with a dislocated shoulder and ended his tour of New Zealand just 41 seconds into the first Test in 2005.

Some 13 years after the flashpoint, the former Ireland and New Zealand captains sat down together in Dublin - to draw a line under the incident, and the aftershocks, once and for all.