Ireland's grand plan

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In public, the Irish camp steadfastly refused to look any further than the next match and were reluctant to discuss the clean sweep even during the build-up to Saturday's gripping 17-15 victory over Wales.

But O'Gara admits: "I remember being in a huddle before the Italy game and I told us to go on and win the Grand Slam."

The Munster fly-half added: "We started talking about it after the France game. We hadn't beaten them for six years so we knew this was a good opportunity. Once they were out of the way, the boys felt confident.

"We knew it would be tough in Cardiff but the boys were a little bit surprised at how little Wales played."

A nail-biting Six Nations title decider of ferocious intensity was decided in the dying minutes at the Millennium Stadium when O'Gara landed a drop-goal. Wales had one last chance to deny their Celtic rivals a first Grand Slam since 1948 but Stephen Jones' long-range penalty fell agonisingly short.

"Maybe in Ireland people thought the Munster players didn't commit as much to the Irish jersey as they did to the Munster jersey - but I'm so happy that's gone now," said O'Gara.

"The Wales game meant everything - and it's one of the best, if not the best, moment in my career.

"The fellas in this team have massive mental belief in themselves. People go on about skill and physicality but that victory was about mental belief.

"We were 6-0 down at half-time and under pressure but we tore into them in the second half. It was a refusal to lose. The fellas wouldn't have come off the pitch until they'd won."