Scotland on Ireland: 'Once they get in behind with some of those carries, they are very, very good'

'If Scotland can get on the journey they have been on the last few years then great - but it is easy saying that, it is another thing doing it'

CRESTFALLEN: Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend.

FLYING centre Sione Tuipulotu was despondent as he faced up to the realisation that he and his Scotland team-mates are flying home after suffering pool-stage elimination from the World Cup.

The Scots arrived in France at the start of September with high expectations after climbing to fifth in the world on the back of a string of impressive results and performances.

However, they were ultimately unable to overcome the challenge of being grouped alongside defending champions South Africa and the world's top-ranked side, Ireland, in a top-heavy Pool B.

Said centre Tuipulotu. "We're out of the tournament now and it feels like all our hard work and stuff like that has come to an end.

"I know there's more rugby to be played after this World Cup but you're in a World Cup to win it and now we're out of it. I'm really gutted. We had a big travelling support, so apologies to them.

"We wanted to do better in the tournament but we ran into two pretty good teams in our pool and ultimately just got beaten by better teams."

As he tried to process the disappointment of his first World Cup coming to an end, Tuipuloto, 26, admitted it was difficult to think about the future.

"I'm very upset and I don't really know how to deal with it," he said. "We've got a good team with good blokes in our changing room. But it's just frustrating to be saying the same type of messages after tournaments like these. I suppose there's another tournament and another tournament after that and maybe the right thing to say now is 'we'll be better in the next tournament' but right now I'm just feeling gutted."

Back row Rory Darge admitted Ireland - who scored after 63 seconds and were 26-0 up at half-time - showed Scotland why they are the top-ranked side on the planet at Stade de France.

"They are the number one team in the world and they showed it," said flanker Darge. "We could have been better in a lot of things, taken our chances when we had a lot of ball in their 22 at the start of the game.

"Once they get in behind with some of those carries, they are very, very good. They withheld a lot of what we threw at them in that first 20.

"Obviously the scoreline is what it is and that's off the back of them being brutally clinical and we weren't."

Gregor Townsend admitted Ireland were simply too good for his Scotland team to handle as their World Cup dream ended

"It's a very disappointing result, we have gone out of the World Cup against the highest-ranked side in the world, and they were well ahead at half-time," rued head coach Townsend.

"We played the number two side in the world in the opening game and it was a close game. In isolation, this is a really disappointing defeat against a very good side and one we believed we had the ability to beat.

"They were the better team, they were excellent and it's probably the best I have seen them play. It's probably where we and they are in terms of the rankings and why now they are the favourites for the World Cup.

"The tries before half-time we could have defended better, but I have to give credit to Ireland as they executed very well and the game went away from us. In the second half, I was really proud of the effort and the intent to not allow the score to become a bigger one. We came back and showed who we were in attack.

"The game had gotten away from us, so we focused on winning back respect. To get two tries against such a top team, we'll take a little bit out of that. We're very disappointed with the result and the first-half performance, but credit to Ireland, who were very, very good.

"Ireland are a better team than us on that performance, and they've won 17 games in a row so they've clearly been the better team over the last couple of years. Now, if we can get on the journey they have been on the last few years then great - but it is easy saying that, it is another thing doing it.

"You become a better team through defeats as well as victories, and we've got to make sure that this defeat makes us a better team for the Six Nations coming up and the next World Cup, although at this point the Six Nations is much more relevant."