Plenty for Ireland to stew over and little time to find recipe before England clash

France 10 Ireland 9: With a Six Nations championship defence all but over after two outings, Ireland’s ambitions no longer concern three titles in-a-row but how to avoid a third successive game without winning.

The schedule always looked a tough one for head coach Joe Schmidt and his coaching staff to manage successfully with a squad missing important cogs in various wheels and the reality has hit home forcibly these last two weekends in the form of huge physical confrontations within six days of each other.

The relief of a weekend away from the field of play could not come soon enough for Ireland but with a trip to England on the other side of it, there will be no chance to relax. Aside from the lengthening queue for the treatment tables, there will be a prolonged opportunity to ponder just exactly how they managed to lose to France in Paris on Saturday.