Brian O'Driscoll's Diary Desolated, devastated, frustrated; it's difficult to articulate the feeling of having spurned a massive opportunity to wreak havoc on Ronan O'Gara and David Humphreys, in a perfectly legitimate manner.

There is a tradition within the squad that you get a bit of a going over on your birthday - it was Rog's (O'Gara) last week - involving sticky spray and other props. I was so excited because Rog would be the prime mover in getting others and having got a new Compaq pocket PC, I had programmed it to send reminders all day about the birthday in question.

For some unknown reason I didn't turn it on that day and it was only after we finished training and were back in the hotel it dawned on us that we had forgotten Rog's birthday. Humphs got away with it as well; 50 Tests, he should have been on the receiving end.

There was a determination within the squad in the build-up but also some lighter moments, which is important. We have this presentation as backs after training called the Barry award. To give it its full title, it's the Barry Crocker (shocker) award and before the end of that day's training, Maggsy (Kevin Maggs) came over to me and said he would gladly take it. There is a formal handing over of the ball from the previous recipient and handshake for that Kodak moment.

Poor dress rehearsal, good show as the saying goes. He had a fabulous game. That tackle on Vincent Clerc ... well I winced on behalf of the French wing. People don't realise that it is the sound, that kind of umph, as a player's breath leaves his body when hit, that's really scary. I thought we were going to need the stretcher. That's Maggsy for you though. His tackling is just so punishing.

We headed for Brown's Barn restaurant one night for a meal and a chance to break out from base camp. Liam Hennessy, the IRFU's director of fitness, showed impeccable timing in that we hadn't see him for three or four weeks but when we were going out for this meal, he arrives. By the way Liam, that was perfectly good salmon.

On a more serious note, the Saturday's victory gave us great satisfaction. It was a good win, hard fought. In the captain's meeting on the Friday, I suggested you're never going to beat France by more than one score and that's the way it transpired.

It was very intense, especially with our lead being whittled away too soon for our liking. We gave away too many silly penalties but our defence was strong enough to cope. The tackle on Gelez? I knew there was an overlap. Sometimes you have to look as if you're stepping back to drift out and then shoot up as quick as you can and surprise them. You have to hedge your bets on other occasions but this one came off.

The crucial period was probably not letting them in just before half-time when we defended that scrum and made them kick the ball away. There was a great deal of pressure out there and that made decision making all the more difficult. Both teams took some wrong options.

The media hype didn't really get to the players. To be honest whatever pressure there is we put that on ourselves. We set our own targets and goals. We knew we could beat France but we had to prove that. It was a bit frustrating at times because space was at a premium and it was very difficult to operate under those restrictions.

To a certain degree we did target Dimitri Yachvili and François Gelez, spoke about putting them under pressure, being in their faces and making it difficult for them to settle. Halfbacks control a game and we were trying to deny them that platform.

In fairness to Yachvili, I thought he played well.

Marcus (Horan) was great, especially considering the scrutiny he came under in the media and the suggestions he might not be able to cope at this level. He answered every critic emphatically and in the best possible manner, with an excellent display.

By the end of the match our scrum was comfortably the more powerful, emphasised in a couple of crucial set pieces. Marcus is noted for his work around the park and for the fact that he is a very skilful footballer. He is a valuable commodity when we play our five-a-side soccer matches and definitely not one of the last players chosen.

It was also a huge milestone for Humphs; 50 caps, what an honour. When you consider he's spent three years vying for a position with a player of the quality of Rog and before that competing with Eric Elwood, it makes the achievement all the more laudable. And he doesn't look a day over 31.

When Mal (Malcolm O'Kelly) made that break I was thinking, 'go on my son'. Then I saw who was chasing him, Xavier Garbajosa, and began to wonder how far he'd get. The next thought that struck me was the possibility of Mal slipping in a little grubber kick - he has a decent left boot - of which he is fond, despite the fact that Matt Williams has tried to beat it out of him. To his credit more often than not they have come off.

It's great to win but important to enjoy the moment before we knuckle down to the prospect of taking on Wales in the Millennium Stadium on Saturday week. That's a game we're not taking lightly in the slightest. Wales have nothing to lose and a wounded animal is a dangerous one.

It's sometimes amazing what the fear factor can induce in a positive context. I remember some of the lads talking about the final training session before the Paris match in 1998 when they couldn't put two passes together. The talk then was of Ireland being beaten by 60 plus that day. They came out and nearly beat France.

We'll treat Wales with the respect they deserve and if we're fortunate enough to win then the Grand Slam will be a tangible prospect rather than the hypothetical issue it is at present.