The atmosphere at Lansdowne Road last Sunday was tremendous. The memories of the 1991 World Cup match between the countries heightened the expectation that we would see another memorable encounter. Above all, the home supporters had a right to expect that Ireland would give a performance of some substance.

Manager Donal Lenihan had called for massive support for the Ireland team and they got it. What the spectators got was a performance of moderate efficiency from Australia in the second half. It was enough to see off an Ireland team that played with a total lack of co-ordination, one totally bereft of attacking ideas - how many times was the Australia line even threatened? - and whose play in the line-out, ruck and maul were truly awful. There was scarcely a redeeming feature in the Irish performance. Here is a squad with a back-up team of specialists in every area. Here is a team of well-paid, full-time professional players who played like they had only come together a few hours before the match. What went wrong? That is a matter the players and the team manager must analyse as a matter of some urgency. Was there a psychological element as defeat did not mean the end of the World Cup road given there was another route through the quarterfinal play-offs. Lenihan and coach Warren Gatland assured us that no such thoughts entered Irish heads prior to the game. "The Irish players were up for this match," said Lenihan. Gatland said that the players had let themselves down.

Then we had the usual platitudes from a few players about being "gutted". Well there were very many Irish supporters gutted and disgusted by this performance to the point of anger. There were people who paid £50 to watch that load of rubbish, not to mention the price the Charvet shirt brigade paid for the corporate hospitality. Even a terrace ticket cost £18.

A team can only play as well as the opposition allows. If the Australians had played very well then we might have understood and accepted the Irish performance more readily. The Australians' performance in the first half was riddled with errors. It was better in the second half when Ireland, playing with a strong wind at their backs, never looked remotely like winning the match or even making Australia work hard for their win.

I have stated before (and do so yet again) that some Irish players have been in the comfort zone for a while. We have a problem at full back. Brian O'Driscoll apart, we have lacked quality in the three-quarter line, but it is reasonable to expect at least moderate efficiency. Scrum-half Tom Tierney is a good player who had a poor match behind a poor pack. We have an international front row of quality in Peter Clohessy, Keith Wood and Paul Wallace. Clohessy only came on as a replacement, but the problems did not lie in that area. Malcolm O'Kelly is a player out of form and the balance of the back row was still wrong. You will get away with such performances against the likes of Georgia and the current Italian team and probably Romania - you will not against any team of quality. The Irish management had some soul-searching to do before they selected the team for the match against Romania this evening. Let us hope the team they have selected is good enough to do the job. If Ireland had won on Sunday, it would have meant a place in the quarter-finals and a week's rest for players after tonight's match. There was infinitely more entertainment, vision and pace revealed in the match between Romania and the US on Saturday night than the abject boredom to which we were subjected last Sunday. I fear, too, that some of the current Ireland side just do not feel as hurt as they should after bad performances.

If Ireland get to Lens, and win then, four days later they must play a quarter-final, assuredly against France who have not lost at Lansdowne Road since 1983.

There was a time when teams feared coming to Lansdowne Road - not any more I am afraid. The last time Ireland defeated a major rugby-playing nation in Dublin was on March 2nd, 1996, when Wales went under. One has to go back to 1993, against England, to find another win at home against a major nation. Yet the Irish followers, ever faithful and ever hopeful, go along every time in hope and expectation. They deserve much better that they got last Sunday.

It is absolutely true that consistency has not been a notable characteristic of Ireland teams and two wins out of four in the championship in any season in the amateur era was a reasonable return, bearing in mind playing population and other factors. While professionalism did not come to pass officially until 1995, some countries and certainly some of their players had embraced it in all but name prior to that. There was talk of unlevel playing fields and the disadvantage Irish players and teams had in relation to proper time for preparation. There was some substance in that.

Now, however, no such excuses can be offered, for this Ireland team is composed of full-time professional players with every possible facility provided. The current crop of players, unlike their predecessors, do not have to work from nine to five and then go and train in the evenings. That is why there was such disappointment at their performance last Sunday. Nobody expects a team of Irish world beaters to emerge suddenly, but the Irish rugby public is entitled to expect infinitely more.

The reward the men who represented Ireland in the era prior to professionalism got - and two of them are on the current management team - was the honour of representing their country. There was tremendous pride and a great sense of responsibility in those players and through the years they served Irish rugby well and gave us many great memories. Those who now represent Ireland get very well paid to wear the green jersey. We live in a very different era now and accept the reality of that. But we are entitled to expect more from the current crop of Irish players. Playing for Ireland is much more than a job - it must, above all, be about pride in a jersey and the country's rugby heritage. Donal Lenihan is ideally placed to get that message across to his players.