More questions than answers

IF the objective of Saturday’s game against France was to dampen Irish expectations on the eve of the World Cup then it had the desired effect. This performance was not on the agenda.

Despite the defeats by Scotland and France over the previous weekends, there was sufficient evidence in those displays to suggest Ireland were on track in terms of preparation and there were enough positive signs to carry the squad forward to the next game.

With the World Cup squad due to be announced today, the Irish management had precious few boxes to tick prior to Saturday’s game. To what degree the second half collapse will influence their thinking remains to be seen, but this is not the time for panic.