Schmidt looking for light at end of the tunnel

Ireland 15 Australia 32

Yet after this disappointingly lacklustre defeat to the Wallabies, and with New Zealand trundling towards the Aviva Stadium gates like an all-conquering army intent on knocking off one last outpost of empire, you can understand Schmidt’s need to play the long game and remind us that we are at the start of a 22-month journey to the 2015 World Cup.

On Saturday night, the former Leinster boss witnessed his squad’s momentum halt following an opening victory of his tenure the previous week against Samoa. As he had warned, Ireland paid the price by being exposed by a rejuvenated Australian team which, over the course of the last four months with new coach Ewen McKenzie in charge, has been climbing steadily out of the morass it found itself in following their Test-series defeat to the Lions.