Character needed as Ireland absorb the pain and lessons from Paris

“I know we will bounce back," Cian Prendergast says. 

Ireland's Cian Prendergast and France's Theo Attissogbe. Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady

Momentum. France had so much of it on Thursday evening and Ireland so little. Of all the intangibles, none are more prized in the gruelling sprint that is the Six Nations.

Trailing 29-0 in Paris is not where anyone wants to find themselves with more than half an hour to go on opening night. The two tries Ireland found in belated response hold only limited weight on the other side of the scales.