Ryan looks to establish himself in O'Connell absence
Ireland lock Donnacha Ryan is eager to forge his own identity as he continues to fill the void left by Paul O'Connell's injury-enforced absence.
O'Connell will miss the entire RBS 6 Nations after undergoing back surgery, while a knee problem ruled him out of the summer tour to New Zealand.
The 2009 Lions captain has been an inspirational figure for Ireland since his debut in 2002, but his spells in the treatment room have enabled Ryan to establish himself as an abrasive and athletic presence in the Test arena.
An outstanding autumn earned Ryan glowing reports and the rugged 29-year-old is a contender for the Lions tour to Australia this summer.
"It's an unfortunate situation for Paul. He's a fantastic guy and is great to play alongside," the Munster forward said.
"He's very knowledgeable in everything that he does, but that's the way the game goes - when someone gets an injury you have to make the most of the chance.
"I'm not going to emulate what Paul does, but I certainly want to put my stamp on things. That's the main thing.
"We all know the calibre of Paul and I put pressure on myself to live up to that."
Ryan will resume his second row partnership with Mike McCarthy when Ireland launch their Six Nations campaign against Wales at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
The fixture has become a sore point for Ireland, who have lost three in a row including the 2011 World Cup quarter-final in Wellington.
Both Six Nations defeats in that sequence were controversial, with 2011 overshadowed by Wales' unlawfully-taken quick line-out, while last year the harsh sin-binning of Stephen Ferris enabled Leigh Halfpenny to kick the 80th-minute match-winning penalty.
"You hate losing, no matter who you play against, but I was there last year and that was very disappointing," Ryan said.
"That defeat highlights the importance of the first game and we want to get it right this time so that we build some momentum.
"I was also there when we lost in Cardiff two years ago and the way that went was also very disappointing.
"As the 23rd man I was doing the camera for the scrums that day. I didn't actually see the line-out because I was fiddling with the camera.
"When I looked up and saw it on the big screen it was quite frustrating. Those things can happen, but we had ample opportunities to win it and you can't start picking over stuff like that.
"Wales have obviously done the business against us and we must raise our game if we're going to compete with them
"They'll be up for the game and being Six Nations champions, you wouldn't expect anything less."
