Donal Lenihan: Time to take stock and reset after failure of a tournament for Ireland

Despite losing just one game, to eventual champions France, nobody can afford to paper over the worrying cracks that have come to the fore over the last seven weeks.

Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby and Caelan Doris of Ireland in Rome. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Finishing third isn’t where Ireland wanted or expected to finish. If anything it appears a bit harsh, having won four out of five Six Nations encounters, that this campaign is labelled a failure. That said, there’s no denying Irish performance levels have dipped to a worrying degree since the defeat to New Zealand in the opening game of the autumn series last November.

Despite the fact that Scotland pushed them for long periods, with their pace and creativity in attack at a superior level to anything Ireland were able to produce in Dublin the previous week, there’s no disputing that France finished worthy and deserving winners of this season’s fascinating tournament.