Six Nations 2013: Jamie Heaslip happy with form and leadership Ireland captain Jamie Heaslip insists that he is happy with his form and leadership role despite the team's struggles in this year's Six Nations. Heaslip's appointment as skipper after replacing Brian O'Driscoll has been a major talking point but the flanker insists that he is enjoying the role. The captaincy has been great. I've loved it," said the number eight. When I came off the pitch against Scotland I was quite happy with the way I played. Successive defeats by England and Scotland mean the Irish need a victory over fellow-strugglers France to avoid the prospect of a Wooden Spoon battle against Italy in Rome on 16 March. Heaslip's own performances have been criticised this season but the 29-year-old insists that results cut more deeply than any vilification from outside the camp. Watch Heaslip's Six Nations tries In 2008 I stopped listening to or reading the rugby side of sport and I can't wait to start again when I finish rugby. But when I'm playing I don't pay attention to it," he said. When you come off the field as a player you analyse your own game, but as a captain you feel more responsible for the team. I never like to lose, but you do take the defeats a lot more personally when you're captain. Ireland's Six Nations campaign has been ravaged by injuries but Heaslip insists that missed chances and mistakes have been the principal undoing of the team's season to date. Injuries don't help, but we can't blame injuries for the Scotland game. We had three really good try-scoring opportunities that we just didn't execute on. Despite all our mistakes against England, we still brought it back to 6-6 only to gift them two easy penalties to win the game. I can't blame that on injuries. It's been more about our accuracy. Against Wales we were on the money in terms of delivering at key moments and that's what we need this weekend. Ireland have beaten the French only once in their last 13 meetings and Heaslip knows that his side face a tough task against a side that went into the Six Nations as favourites. They reached the final of the 2011 World Cup and no team does that by being lucky. It shows their class and we face a massive challenge.