David Leggat: Don't toast Ireland's performance in O'Driscoll's earshot

Anyone passing Brian O'Driscoll at the breakfast table this morning and offering commiserations over Ireland's test defeat might find a piece of toast bouncing off the back of his head.

The Irish captain doesn't go in for the plucky loser stuff.

Sure, for an hour they gave as good as they got against the All Blacks in Hamilton and, after conceding an opening-minute try, were in front until the 71st.

But what counts in O'Driscoll's book is what the scoreboard says at the finish. In this case, he didn't like what he saw. Eight points up with 23 minutes left became 11 points behind at the end.

Not for the first time Ireland, which has yet to beat the All Blacks in 101 years of trying, could have rewritten rugby history. They had every chance on Saturday night against an All Black side who scuffed through the first half in thoroughly unconvincing fashion before finding enough cohesion in the second half to get the job done with not much to spare.

But, no question from an Irish perspective, the All Blacks were there for the taking, and Ireland weren't up to the job. O'Driscoll knows it, he is aware of what is required and it doubtless eats away at the world-class centre.

He could not be faulted on a personal level. He was superb, scoring one try when he whizzed around the defensively dodgy Ma'a Nonu, and proving a handful for most of the match.

The last time O'Driscoll was in Hamilton he scored the Lions only try in their loss to New Zealand Maori last June. It was the one bright moment on a trip brutally cut short a fortnight later in the first test.

On Saturday, anyone wondering whether he was worthy of his standing in the Northern Hemisphere - where his initials, B.O.D. smoothly morph into G.O.D. in centre-speak - got their answer.

But O'Driscoll wasn't up for self-analysis on Saturday night.

He and his team, especially the men of Munster, who provided all but one of the pack in Hamilton, have become accustomed to winning on big stages.

Munster won the Heineken Cup in Cardiff last month. Ireland missed the Six Nations title by a whisker to France. These are things you develop a taste for. Knocking the All Blacks over? Why not?

But putting together a strong hour's rugby doesn't cut it, which raises the question of whether they can at Eden Park this Saturday against an All Black team who, for all the soothing public noises from the top table after the first test, will be made aware of a few home truths this week.

"I really felt with 20 minutes to go and an eight-point lead we could have pushed on all the way," O'Driscoll said. "I feel we're capable of beating any team in the world, including the All Blacks, but you've got to play the full 80 minutes. It's about putting the whole package together."

But back to the plucky bit. O'Driscoll is no easy-going Irishman of old Gaelic legend, with a happy face for triumph and adversity.

He is a professional footballer with a steely attitude for whom defeat is unacceptable. Being plucky doesn't figure in his philosophy. He wants to be a winner.

"I'd like to think we're a little better than plucky," he said. "This team is about being a hell of a lot more than plucky.

"We've come on a huge way in the last few years and we don't accept mediocrity. You just have to see the disappointment in the dressing-room. The guys are used to winning a hell of a lot more than losing."

A glance down the years shows the All Blacks are invariably much better second time up than in the opening test of a year.

Can Ireland prevent the usual story? O'Driscoll's words, and the new resolve within the Irish rugby mindset - winners, not just grinners - offer an intriguing prospect for Eden Park.