Cian Tracey

I thought guys like Michael Milne, Nick Timoney, Jack Conan, James Ryan were all very good as well.

And unfortunately, with the reality checks that we're talking about, I think there's going to have to be a bit of pain for Irish rugby to get...

anywhere near back to where they should be and they believe they should be but I asked Andy Farrell in the post-master press conference just now like if he was confident that he could close the gap and I was kind of wondering if he might bite back at this suggestion that there is a gap

But he didn't.

He said he is confident, which of course he's going to say.

But I thought it was a bit interesting that he essentially, without saying it, acknowledged that there is now a gap between Ireland and the best teams in the world.

So that is a concern as well.

But I did think in the midst of the doom and gloom that there were positives as well.

Yeah, I think it's telling the guys who were saying who did play well, your likes of Jeremy Lachman at the Scrum, Michael Milne, Nick Timoney.

We're not saying Dan Sheehan, we're not saying Tygburn.

Guys who really and truly, if an Irish team wants to win away from home in France, they have to deliver like 8, 9, 10 performances

And really, none of them did.

I thought Stuart McCloskey was probably the pick of the starters, a guy, again, who's really had to earn his way in on the back of his excellent club form with Ulster.

But, yeah, guys need to take, I think, a long, hard look at themselves in the mirror.

I think it's also...

It's also worth remembering the length and the calibre of Ireland's injury list that they came here.

And again, I'm not giving them an easy out, but you come away to France without your first three-choice loose heads, without Tyke Furlong, without Hugo Keenan, Matt Canson, these guys who...

I think it would have made a difference because they're top class pairs.

But then again, the intent wasn't there across the board.

And I think you're right, Rod, like for a coach like Andy Farrell, everything we know about him is intent, it's desire.