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Brian O'Driscoll fills in as scrum-half. ©INPHO/James Crombie
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'I wish somebody had left O'Driscoll in Ireland' - Shaun Edwards

The defence coach also suggested that the Welsh should have scored six tries in the second-half.

BRIAN O’DRISCOLL SPOKE midweek about the possibility that this Six Nations may be his last but Irish supporters will be hoping the outside centre can go on and on.

The former Ireland captain put in a magnificent display in his side’s 30-22 away win over Wales.

O’Driscoll superbly set up Simon Zebo for the game’s opening try, scored a try of his own in the second-half, tackled everything red that moved and filled in as emergency scrum-half in the closing stages.

Speaking after the match, Wales’ defence coach Shaun Edwards lamented the evergreen performance from Ireland’s record try-scorer.

He said, “Obviously that man O’Driscoll, I thought he was the difference between the two sides.

“I wish somebody had left him in Ireland.”

Edwards and Welsh caretaker coach Rob Howley spoke wistfully, and at times bullishly, about the squandered scoring opportunities in the second-half as Wales fought back from a 30-3 deficit.

Edwards said, “Anybody would tell you that this game is all about field position and we had field position in the second half.

To be honest, we could have scored six tries. We had a few two-on-ones. Ireland defended quite manfully really.”

Under pressure

Howley felt Wales lost the game in the opening 25 minutes when they could not stop the green tide.

He commented, “We played some great rugby in the second-half and put Ireland under pressure… we probably left 21 or 28 points out there.”

Wales captain Sam Warburton declared that the team would have no problem in focusing on their away date in France next weekend as they try to snap an eight-game losing streak.

He said, “It’s tough having lost eight on the bounce but there were some positives to take from the game.

“We played really well in the second-half and could have scored a lot more points.”

VIDEO: Relive Ireland’s pulsating win over the Welsh

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