Enjoy this — there’s a Puma pummelling coming next

After months of speculation and endless debate, now we know. 

This outstanding victory over France, forged in the most demanding of circumstances with the loss of the two principal leaders, captain Paul O’Connell and tactical director Johnny Sexton, has opened up the more negotiable side of the World Cup draw for Joe Schmidt’s heroic men.

Given a choice between meeting New Zealand or Argentina at this stage of the tournament, there are no prizes for guessing which route you would wish to take. Having achieved the primary objective in topping our pool for the second consecutive time at a World Cup, the big question now is at what cost.