Donal Lenihan: It wasn’t meant to end like this, but Ireland's fall was no quarter-final choke

The only thing that denied Ireland’s place in the last four was the flawed structure of the tournament which has resulted in two of the best four teams heading home in advance of the semi-finals.

CRESTFALLEN: Josh Van der Flier, Garry Ringrose and Caelan Doris of Ireland are consoled by members of their family at the Stade de France.

UTTERLY crestfallen. And that’s only me. I haven’t felt this empty on the final whistle since Michael Lynagh scored against Ireland in the last minute of the 1991 World Cup quarter-final in Dublin that enabled eventual winners, Australia, to escape to the World Cup semi-final.

Thirty-two years on and that one-point defeat remains the closest Ireland have got to making the last four of the biggest rugby show on earth. Without question, the best Irish side by a country mile to compete at a World Cup tournament came second best Saturday night to an extremely well-prepared New Zealand team who, after attracting much criticism from their own over the last year, arrived determined to remind the world what All Black rugby is all about.