O'Brien: We need more attacking urgency

Ireland's Seán O'Brien has insisted there will be a brutal in-depth review on the 27-22 loss at the hands of Scotland in the RBS 6 Nations in Edinburgh.

Scotland edged Joe Schmidt's side after two tries from Stuart Hogg, followed by a score Alex Dunbar, and two late decisive penalties from Greig Laidlaw.

Schmidt suggested after the game that the slow-start cost the Wolfhounds, and O'Brien insisted the loss would not have occurred if Ireland played to the their standards.

"We have to make sure our frustration ensures that we don't repeat the slow start," said the Leinster flanker.

"I'm sure that will be the case - because we'll be well reminded of it on Monday when we review this game.

"Scotland put us under a lot of pressure too now, they are a tough side and you have to give them credit but our standards weren't where they should have been."

Despite tries from Keith Earls, Iain Henderson and Paddy Jackson, handing Ireland the lead late-on, Schmidt claimed that his side turning up for the game 15 minutes late played a part in the loss.

The 29-year-old has now called upon his team-mates to rectify the loss when they face Conor O'Shea's Italy on the 11th of February.

"It is unusual for us to start like that, yeah," said O'Brien.

"We were making a few poor decisions in defence and sitting off them a little bit.

"We probably gave them a little bit too much respect early on. So that's what we've got to put right.

"We lost a few collisions and gave them front-foot ball, we didn't start well. They were slowing our ball, whether legally or illegally, but we've got to sort that out.

"We did sort that in the second-half and there were some positives. We had opportunities to score more tries out there and a few good line breaks. We just didn't convert some of the stuff we did create when we did get back into the game.

"At this level if you give any international side a lead and momentum like that, they start to come back.

"The championship is still on for us, of course it is - and that's the mindset and what we have to be going after.

"We'll pull ourselves together this week, regroup and put in a performance next weekend.

"We need to be a little more urgent in attack, it was a little bit lethargic on both sides of the ball in that first 20 minutes. That's what let us down."

Image/GettyImages/BrendanMoran

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