Ronan O'Gara/Six Nations Diary: It was a long week, always is when the game's on a Sunday. This one in particular, though, was a match we were all looking forward to. These are the matches that define us as a team; act as a barometer of progress.

Yesterday morning offered an obvious example of just how keyed up the team was as there was very little chat at breakfast. Everyone was focused and it was quiet in the build-up to the match. We hadn't played at home for a while so even the routine was slightly different from the last couple of Six Nations weekends.

The mantle of favouritism is something we are learning to deal with.

If you want to be the best and at some stage achieve that status, then you have to be able to deal with expectation. We still have a way to go but victories like yesterday are so important in the development of this Ireland team.

The game panned out pretty much as expected in the opening 40 minutes. We knew that they would be uncompromising in taking the game to us. It was probably a better spectacle than the second half. We almost broke them down on several occasions prior to the interval; one pass away from getting the ball into the wide corridors we were looking to exploit.

The important thing was to keep the scoreboard ticking over. At one stage we worked the ball to just inside England's 22 and I saw that referee Jonathan Kaplan was going to give us a penalty. We had a free play but not the numbers to take advantage when the ball came back from the ruck.

There were a few times when I knew that we had a free play and tried to force something, aware that play would be taken back if it proved unsuccessful. The two drop goals worked out fine but I should have had three. I hadn't got myself into position when the ball popped out from the maul and so I had no choice but to take it on my left foot.

I tried to just chip it over but didn't make a great contact. It was disappointing because a nine-point advantage at that stage would have given us some breathing space. In the build-up to that effort there was an opportunity for the backs to surge to the blind side as the maul moved forward.

There weren't too many English defenders and I fancied having a crack but Brian (O'Driscoll) shouted to hang tough because the forwards were making decent headway. The ball suddenly popped out and that led to the drop goal attempt.

Eddie (O'Sullivan) was delighted at the manner in which we managed to extricate ourselves from our own 22, and own half. We had spoken about not giving Jason Robinson too much ball to run back at us. When England got possession, we wanted 15 of us in front of them.

In the first half I was happy enough with the line kicking; in the second I didn't catch one or two the way I would have wanted. It was the same with a couple of penalty chances. They weren't easy, but I set standards for myself and I expect to get every kick.

There was no aspect of England's performance that surprised us. We knew they'd be extremely committed. They contested our restarts; we did the same for theirs. There was nothing handed over easily. The English backs ran some good lines and we managed to stretch them as well.

The intensity levels were appreciably higher than the first two Six Nations games. Brian (O'Driscoll) did exceptionally well for the try. Denis (Hickie) provided the initial injection of pace to break the line, showing great acceleration and then Geordie (Murphy) did very well to beat the next line of defenders with a show and go before giving Brian a run down the touchline.

Geordie had a dead leg for most of the game, having picked up the knock in the first half, so goodness knows how good he would have been on two legs.

I was a little surprised to receive the man of the match accolade, as there would have been plenty of deserving candidates on the day. I was happy enough with my performance in the first half, but I lost a little rhythm after the interval.

We enjoyed a few narrow escapes, one of which was when Johnny (O'Connor) pinched the ball from Josh Lewsey at that ruck on our line in the second half. I happened to be on hand to give him a dig out. At that stage it was a question of doing whatever was required.

Obviously winning your 50th cap is a fantastic honour but I deliberately tried to play down the landmark. There was so much at stake in this match.

It wasn't about any individual but how the team fared. Now that the game is over I will probably take a little more enjoyment from the milestone, although at the time of writing I think my team-mates are planning something for the dinner.

England coach Andy Robinson came into the dressingroom afterwards and was very gracious in defeat. We have won three matches, but that achievement can only be celebrated if we keep winning. We're taking nothing for granted and the focus now is the visit of France. Despite losing in Paris, they showed real quality in fits and starts, particularly in the first half. The bar keeps rising.

In an interview with John O'Sullivan