O'Sullivan trusting his instincts

Watch France v Ireland live on RTÉ Two and www.rte.ie/live (Ireland only) on Saturday, 9 February. Commentary is live on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.

Eddie O'Sullivan has claimed his self-belief remains intact as he prepares for what is potentially the decisive match of his Ireland reign.

Critics have declared a heavy defeat by France in Saturday's RBS 6 Nations clash, put in the context of the last six months, would render O'Sullivan's position untenable.

Seven disappointing Test displays of varying degrees of ineptitude dating back to August's World Cup warm-up games have thrust Ireland's coach into the firing line

But O'Sullivan has confronted the most challenging period of his six-year tenure steeled by the conviction that he can guide Ireland out of their slump.

'My self-belief hasn't wavered. Of course when things don't go well you want to address and fix them. That's the job,' he said.

'As a coach you take responsibility for fixing things.

'It's the nature of the beast that when things are going wrong you want to apply yourself even more to correct them.

'If you don't have that sense of determination and belief then you won't last very long in this business.

'It's important to be true to yourself, stick to the job and do what you know you've always done well.

'There are no guarantees in this business and that's the formula you have to work under.'

O'Sullivan has been subjected to a barrage of criticism during Ireland's descent from third in the official IRB rankings to a team struggling to shake off the baggage of an abysmal World Cup.

But the 49-year-old accepts the vitriol directed towards him comes with the territory.

'You always get criticised in this job. I don't know any Test coach who hasn't been criticised,' he said.

'Obviously you get more criticism when things aren't going well, but even when things are going well you get criticised. That's the nature of the business.

'The important thing is to keep on doing the job you're doing - trust your instincts, work ethic and the belief you have in yourself and the players around you.

'We're all human and no-one likes to be criticised, but it's just part of the job.

'The most important thing is to not allow it to affect the way you do your job.'

O'Sullivan will be boosted by the fact that Paul O'Connell has come through the Munster A match against Ulster this evening, without any setbacks.

O'Connell played for an hour, and contributed to a 38-5 win at Shawsbridge in Belfast.

O'Driscoll undaunted by Paris challenge

Brian O'Driscoll is adamant Ireland's dismal record in Paris has left no psychological scarring for tomorrow's RBS 6 Nations clash with France.

Ireland have triumphed only once in the French capital since 1972 with the 27-25 upset in 2000 - inspired by O'Driscoll's stunning hat-trick - their solitary success.

And Marc Lievremont's side, gunning for a hat-trick of Six Nations titles, are heavy favourites to extend their superiority when the rivals collide at the Stade de France.

But O'Driscoll insists that while the French remain daunting opposition, the history behind the fixture counts for nothing.

'You'd be a fool not to think that we've found it very tough to win in Paris in the past,' he said.

'But you don't have the exact same team each year and you go in with fresh ambition.

'We always feel we have the capability to cause an upset.

'You have to be at your very best to stay within touching distance of them after 70 minutes. Then they really know they're in a game.

'What we've been guilty of in the past is giving up the game in the first half hour or first half.

'When the French are confident they're at their best and the passes tend to stick a bit more.

'The longer you hang in there with them the more tension there is and when 80,000 French fans start getting on their back, the Stade de France is not a nice place for their players to be.'