Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan has remained loyal to his World Cup flops for Saturday's RBS 6 Nations opener against Italy despite admitting his side are still reeling from events last September.
Other than the four players unavailable through injury, suspension and retirement, O'Sullivan has kept faith with the remaining members of the starting line-up that was demolished 30-15 by Argentina.
The Pumas defeat completed an abysmal World Cup for Ireland and they have been subjected to a ferocious backlash from fans and media since, cranking up the pressure on O'Sullivan.
Only an impressive Six Nations will silence demands for O'Sullivan's head but the 49-year-old is willing to stake his reputation on the team that misfired in France.
‘It's strange how suddenly things change. This time last year we were favourites to win the Grand Slam, but not this season,’ he said.
‘Inevitably heading into the Six Nations we're still carrying the hangover from the World Cup, which was disappointing for us.
‘What happened in the World Cup is casting a shadow on the Six Nations, whether we like it or not.
‘We've talked a lot about the World Cup and now it's time to get back on the horse.
‘The difference between this year and last year is that at the moment the World Cup is sitting on our shoulders.
‘But we must draw a line in the sand. We can't change what happened but what we can do is attack the Six Nations and do as well as we can.
‘The team want to get back to where they were last autumn and we can't do that until the Six Nations starts on Saturday.’
Ulster hooker Rory Best will start ahead of Bernard Jackman, Malcolm O'Kelly will join Donncha O'Callaghan at lock and there was no place in the back row for exciting number eight Jamie Heaslip.
Geordan Murphy and Andrew Trimble were named on the wings while Eoin Reddan kept the more experienced Peter Stringer on the bench, retaining the scrum-half jersey.
‘There were a couple of close calls,’ said O'Sullivan.
‘At hooker Rory has been playing very well since coming back from injury but Bernard Jackman pushed him pretty close.
‘We looked at bringing Jamie Heaslip into the back row because of his form but on balance we decided to leave the combination as it is.
‘Scrum-half was a tight call. The two boys have been nip and tuck but Eoin edged it again.
‘Reddan is a slightly different player and edges it on the type of game we're playing, but I wouldn't say Peter brings less to the field.’
O'Sullivan admitted he is concerned at the disappointing form of centres Brian O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy.
The Leinster duo are one of the deadliest midfield combinations on their day but O'Sullivan accepts they are currently falling far short of that standard.
‘Both will admit they haven't been firing on all cylinders,’ he said.
‘Sometimes one has played better than the other, occasionally one has played well and sometimes neither of them have played well.
‘When you consider the options, there aren't too many centres around outside of these two boys and we're fortunate to have them.
‘They're world-class players and when they're on form they're right up there.
‘But the challenge for them now is to quickly find their form for the Six Nations.’
