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From: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...2722,00.html:D
IRELAND captain Brian O'Driscoll insisted he'd ¿enjoyed¿ Ireland's nailbiting 14-13 win over England at Croke Park in Dublin.
The win keeps his side on course for a Six Nations Grand Slam.
But the talismanic midfielder admitted England had put Ireland through one of the most physical Tests of his career.
Ireland's third win in three matches looked all but assured heading into the closing stages after man-of-the-match O'Driscoll had powered over from close range to add a try to his earlier drop-goal.
But with barely a minute left, England full-back Delon Armitage scored a try converted by replacement outside-half Andy Goode to cut Ireland's lead to just a solitary point.
However, Ireland held their nerve in front of a crowd of more than 81,000 to keep alive their hopes of a first Grand Slam since 1948.
“It was a little nerve-wracking,” O'Driscoll told reporters. “We made it a little harder for ourselves than we needed to. But we played it out and we won.
“There were a few opportunities we missed out there,” the gifted centre added following a match where Ireland's margin of victory would have been greater but for normally reliable outside-half Ronan O'Gara being off-target with four of his six kicks at goal - errors that cost the home side 11 points.
O'Driscoll, who also marked his 91st cap by putting in some crunching tackles, paid tribute to England's endurance by saying: “That was one of the most physical Test matches I've played for a long time.
“They are always tough to beat. Apart from two years ago (when Ireland beat England by a record 43-13 at Croke Park) we've only beaten England by a score.”
Meanwhile, Ireland coach Declan Kidney, who was the schoolboy O'Gara's rugby and maths teacher at Presentation Brothers College in Cork, praised his stand-off for still having the nerve to kick a penalty late on that edged the hosts 14-6 in front.
“How much courage did it take to take that penalty at the end?,” said the former Munster coach, who insisted Ireland did have a back-up plan for when O'Gara has an off-day with the boot.
“We do but part of it is my belief in Ronan. Part of it too is the courage to stand and put the tackles in that he did. You can't coach that.”
England manager Martin Johnson, in what is becoming a depressingly familiar tale for Red Rose fans, was again left lamenting his side's poor discipline.
Sin-binnings inside the final 25 minutes for prop Phil Vickery and replacement scrum-half Danny Care took England's yellow card count to 10 in four matches.
There was no disguising Johnson's frustration as England's lax play undid the hard work they'd put in to be 3-3 at half-time following a penalty apiece from O'Gara and opposing stand-off Toby Flood, who went off injured with 10 minutes left.
“They've got to understand they've cost themselves a Test match,” Johnson, England's 2003 World Cup-winning captain said following a match where a poor penalty count, as in the 23-15 loss last time out to Wales, had hurt his men.
“I thought the one that really changed the game was Danny's. We went 14-6 and had no scrum-half for 10 minutes. I told him afterwards, when you are down in the penalty count that much, the referee will be looking at you.
“We don't need to give penalties away. We've got to trust ourselves and believe in ourselves,” added Johnson after England's fifth defeat in seven games since he took charge in November.
Johnson, a master motivator on the pitch, does not appear to be having anything like the same effect off it, even though he has repeatedly stressed the need for England to reduce their penalty count.
Asked what he could do to make his players listen, the legendary lock replied: “Just keep hammering away.”
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