'We’ve just got to be a little bit smarter' - Ireland outclassed by Black Ferns but scoreboard does them no justice

Yes, they weren’t clinical enough when they engineered their openings, but how this game ended without an Irish contribution to the scoreboard almost beggars belief.

Ireland's Head Coach Scott Bemand speaks to Ireland players after the match. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady.

New Zealand 40 Ireland 0

There isn’t such a thing as a ‘good’,or a digestible, 40-0 defeat. There can’t be. But this World Cup showdown for top spot in Pool C between two sides that had already booked passage to the knockouts wasn’t quite as awful as it might look for Ireland.