Ireland look a team in need of a reboot

And breathe... Nine days will separate yesterday’s highly unsatisfactory defeat of Russia in Kobe and Ireland’s final pool match, against Samoa in Fukuoka, and the sense from the outside looking in is of a squad that should relish the weekend break to come and the chance to switch off from rugby for a bit.

Ireland look like a side that needs to reboot. They were sloppy and predictable against the tournament’s lowest-ranked team. They failed to put as many points on them as Connacht had managed prior to the World Cup and this despite the fact that Lyn Jones’ side played 20 minutes with a player in the sinbin.