Manager's reaction: It was hardly a lump-in-the-throat sort of occasion, 50-point margins never are, but looking at the West Stand while the Irish team flung their jerseys into the North Terrace did bring back a few memories. Eddie O'Sullivan could have trundled out an end-of-an-era cliche but instead he shared a farewell memory.

"It kind of hit me today coming off the bus. The guy that leads us through the gate shakes hands with everybody, he said to me today this is my last time doing it. You don't think about it too much until that point."

While Luke Fitzgerald may not have exploded on to the international scene, there were enough sparks to keep him in the frame for the Six Nations squad.

"Talking about Luke," he started when asked about all four debutants (Paddy Wallace included). "I thought Luke did very well. The guys he is playing against were really fast footballers so being out in those open spaces on your own is a daunting place. He did very well. He dropped into fullback when Girvan (Dempsey) went off. He had a fine game.

"He probably could have backed himself more, a couple of times, if I was to be critical of him. Just pin his ears back because he is a talent. You saw at one stage when he did pin his ears back he surprised them. It's a big stage out there. I mean, 18 months ago I saw him down playing a schools match in Athlone so it is a big step up. I wouldn't be hard on him . . . he is well capable of playing Test rugby."

The other first-timers? Stephen Ferris had a quiet game by his high standards but Jamie Heaslip replicated the gain-line breaking displays he produces at Leinster. International number eight stamped all over his forehead. O'Sullivan agreed. "The two backrow boys did very well in what I thought was a bruising game in that quarter . . . I thought they dug in very well. Made the hard yards. Top marks from me on that performance."

An Ireland coach has never been in such a position of strength but a glance towards the World Cup brought reality home. Argentina and France in the pool. Lose one of those games and the All Blacks are waiting in a Millennium Stadium quarter-final.

"We are in the group of death," admitted O'Sullivan. "It's become a very difficult group. We have become very concerned about getting out of it and I can guarantee you France are very concerned about getting out of it as one of the host nations. They must be feeling the pressure. It's going to be a complete dogfight to get out of that group."