From thrilling to infuriating

WELL, who would have imagined that? Ireland outscore France by three tries to one and walk off the pitch beaten men.

That is what happens when defeat is self-inflicted, as for the second week in a row, the men in green, so positive in purpose, not so much threw away the chance of beating the reigning Six Nations champions at the Aviva Stadium but fumbled it, dropped it, missed it.

Poor handling, misplaced kicks, missed tackles and indiscipline at the breakdown – all the aspects that made victory over Italy in Rome so fortunate, came back to kick Ireland on home turf against a misfiring French side who were there for the taking.