Paul O'Connell: Italy game 'a timely reminder of where we need to be'

“It’s going to be incredibly hard for us to beat them. They are armed with more weaponry than what we saw today.“

Ireland boss Joe Schmidt has warned his players they will need to up their game if they want to overcome France in next Sunday’s Pool D decider.

Schmidt’s side booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a 16-9 win over Italy at the Olympic Stadium but a stodgy performance will have given the French encouragement ahead of the showdown in Cardiff.