O'Driscoll believes the 'buzz' is back

Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll believes new coach Declan Kidney has put the ‘buzz’ back into the national team.

Kidney finally gets his first taste of Test-match action tonight when Canada visit Thomond Park - home of Munster, the team he led to Heineken Cup glory last season.

Although the clash against a Canucks side featuring several part-time players is merely a taster for the sterner challenges to come over the next fortnight, namely Tests against New Zealand and Argentina, the Ireland boss has already cheered fans with his bold team selection.

After a difficult 2007-08 for the Irish, which took in a first-round World Cup exit and mediocre RBS 6 Nations showing - leading to the resignation of former coach Eddie O'Sullivan - O'Driscoll believes the national team is once again a happy place to be.

‘I think everyone's excited. It's been a really good two weeks that we've been together. When you get to this stage of a Test-match week you just want it to be on,’ he said.

‘You can see there's a good buzz in training; everyone is enjoying each other's company, and we just want to get out there and pull the jersey on again.’