With the final pool stages of this season's Heineken Cup now complete, attentions turn swiftly to the impending Six Nations and the opening fixtures in nine days' time.

Following Ireland's disastrous run in the recent World Cup, all eyes will be firmly fixed upon the coach and players for the first game at home to the Italians. The Irish squad will be anxious to atone for their displays last September and revive the interest levels of a disheartened public.

Individual performance levels have varied greatly over the past four months and Eddie O'Sullivan is aware of the task in hand as he looks to build momentum ahead of a gruelling few weeks.

Away fixtures to France and England will prove the toughest tests and in all honesty the coach's position of tenure could well rest upon the results from those two clashes.

The recent Heineken Cup form of the respective provinces could well have a hand in determining the starting fifteen on Saturday week. Both David Wallace and Denis Leamy had disappointing World Cups by their own high standards. It clearly took a few weeks for this duo to shake off the disappointment of exiting at the group stages and their on-field displays showed all the signs of a lack of form and interest.

However over the past four weeks, this back-row pairing have recaptured their hunger and both should start against the Azzurri on the opening day. Partnering them in the back-row must be the in-form Jamie Heaslip. One of the few Leinster players to consistently perform at the highest level, Heaslip must now be given the opportunity to apply himself on the international stage.

Leinster

Leinster have once again flattered to deceive in Europe, although the difficulty of their group must be taken into consideration. Impressive home victories against the powerhouse duo of Leicester and Toulouse were overshadowed by three disastrous displays away from home. Many of their household names have failed to live up to expectations and it will be interesting to see what kind of selection decisions Eddie O'Sullivan makes when assessing the likes of Brian O'Driscoll, Gordon D'Arcy and Shane Horgan.

At the other end of the spectrum, other players from within the Blue Province have made a very strong case for their inclusion within the match-day squad. Bernard Jackman has arguably been the find of the tournament in this season's European Cup and certainly the in-form hooker from an Irish perspective. His powerful running with ball in hand has only been surpassed by his remarkable improvement in line-out accuracy. The former Connacht star will be very close to the starting fifteen. Likewise can be said for the vastly improving Luke Fitzgerald.

The young winger exudes the same kind of confidence that Brian O'Driscoll previously displayed when he first started out on the international scene. Fitzgerald is elusive with the ball in hand and possesses enough pace to trouble any defence. His recent try-scoring double against Toulouse is enough proof that the former Blackrock College star is ready to make the step-up.

Irish squad

It promises to be a very interesting few weeks for the Irish squad and their under-fire coach. Collectively they will be judged on results and then to a certain extent on their performance levels. Failure to deliver the Grand Slam last season was seen as a great disappointment. Failure to even turn up at the World Cup was seen as an outrage.

How a team performs under the increasing strains of pressure is the greatest test of their mental and physical conditions. No one is doubting the talent which this squad clearly possesses, however they must now convert this ability into silverware.

The meteoric return-to-form of out-half Ronan O'Gara, coupled with the recent towering performances of Donnacha O'Callaghan and Mick O'Driscoll, provides a timely boost ahead of a tension-filled six weeks. Confidence will play a large part in the fortunes of this Irish squad during the Six Nations.

If the senior players can rediscover the ruthless streaks, then the enthusiastic newcomers might just apply the finishing touch.

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