Another huge test of character looms large

It has been an interesting and revealing few weeks in the evolution of this Irish team.

It is worth remembering, and Declan Kidney alluded to the fact after Sunday’s draw in Paris, that this side is much changed from the one that captured the Grand Slam in 2009. Of that team, only seven have been regular starters in this season’s Six Nations.

The defeat to Wales in the opening game of the tournament and the result at Stade de France at the weekend highlights the small margins at play in top-flight rugby but also shows that Ireland remain a work in progress.