As reality checks go, this was pretty stark

Well, at least Ireland’s new management team has a very clear picture of the enormity of the task facing them in their new roles.

The fact that New Zealand arrive next Sunday with the carrot of becoming the first team in the professional era to go unbeaten in a calendar year doesn’t make that challenge any easier.

The most disappointing aspect of Saturday’s 15-32 defeat to Ewen McKenzie’s Australia wasn’t so much the technical deficiencies at the set-piece or the repetition of the aimless kicking witnessed against Samoa, bad enough as they were. It was the sheer lack of urgency and aggression in the contact area coupled with the passive nature of Ireland’s defensive effort.