Veteran Ireland and Munster flanker insists that he still has plenty more to offer at Test level © Getty Images

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Matches: Ireland 22 - 25 France

Players/Officials: David Wallace

Tournaments/Tours: Six Nations

Teams: France | Ireland | Italy

Veteran Ireland flanker David Wallace has shrugged aside the suggestion that this Six Nations could be his last and insists that he still has plenty more to offer at international level.

The Munster openside is now 34 and this year's World Cup in New Zealand would appear to offer him the perfect stage on which to bring the curtain down on his stellar Test career. However, Wallace, who will once again wear the Irish No.7 jersey against France on Sunday, is adamant that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank.

"I'm just as hungry as ever, if not more so," he said. "The closer you get to the end the more you relish it and the more you want to get everything you can from your career.

"I'm working as hard as I can. I hope I've got much longer at this level. There are so many permutations behind how much longer you can play for. Are you being selected, what do you have to fall back on? At the moment I'm really enjoying it. I feel like I'm in good shape and the body isn't giving out too much.

"I'm happy to keep playing. I'm happy with my form - my work-rate is as good as it's ever been. There are always things you want to tinker with and improve, but I'm happy with where I am at the moment.

"Fortunately no parts of my game have got worse with age. You gain more experience and knowledge and I hope that the curve is upward rather downward."

Ireland kicked off their Six Nations campaign with a distinctly unimpressive 13-11 victory over Italy in Rome, with Declan Kidney's men needing a last-minute drop goal from replacement fly-half Ronan O'Gara to prevail, after Luke McLean's try had put the hosts within touching distance of a historic win. With France having opened with a scintillating victory over Scotland in Paris, Wallace is well aware that Ireland need to produce something special in Dublin on Sunday.

"When Italy scored their try with four minutes to go it was a shock," he said of his side's fortuitous triumph at the Stadio Flaminio. "You can hear the crowd and you can see the opposition celebrating, so you think 'is it going to be one of those days?'

"But we came together under the posts. We still believed because a lot of the guys in the team are used to winning. To be the first Ireland team to lose to Italy in the Six Nations was there as well. You don't want to be that team.

"I've been on the wrong end of games against France. Sometimes you wonder 'how did that happen?' There's a certain way to defend against them because they can be unstructured and their guys run onto the ball."