Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt said on Wednesday (27th January) that Paul O'Connell "leaves a bigger hole" than when Brian O'Driscoll retired. Schmidt also tried to calm fears over Johnny Sexton's recent head injury saying "it's business as usual for Johnny".

SOUNDBITE: (English) Joe Schmidt, Ireland head coach (Q: Does this feel like a period of transition?)

"Yeah. I think the year before it was Brian O'Driscoll that had finished, this year it is Paul O'Connell. I think Paul leaves a bigger hole, you know he was captain and he was reasonably influential in anything that we did, off the field and in preparation on the training pitch and then on the field. I thought he was playing some of his best rugby of his life. So for us that's a major loss, particularly in the context of Mike Ross and Cian Healy not being available, Iain Henderson not being available, it kind of transforms our tight five. So there is a real challenge for us there, but we're also excited about the young guys coming in."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Joe Schmidt, Ireland head coach (Q: Warren Gatland has said you're the favourites?)

"We don't deal in favouritism, we just deal in the personalities and the performers, the quality players that they (Wales) have and I think they are the most settled team in the Six Nations. If you have a look at their personnel, there is very much a solidity and a continuity in what they've got and what those players have achieved in the last four or five years - very, very consistent. I was talking to Sam Warburton (Wales captain) this morning, I think this is his fifth visit here, that sort of continuity is something that is probably the envy of a lot of teams."