Match report: France v Ireland Match stats

''We are not too down,'' he said. ''Overall we played well for the 80 minutes.

''Over the whole game we did make mistakes and hurt ourselves. But you have to proud of the way the guys played out there.

''That's a very good French team and they will trouble any side.

''We started well in the first half, but we just could not get points on the board.

''Then what hit us was that they sneaked a try just before half-time. But once again we started well after the break and got a good try on the board.

So I suppose a count of four tries to two was a fair result Eddie O'Sullivan

''But again we made a couple of errors and they capitalised to put the game out of our reach.

''But we didn't lie down and kept plugging away, and got another good try and could have had another one at the end.

''So I suppose a count of four tries to two was a fair result.''

France ran in four tries to Ireland's two with Jean-Baptiste Elissalde's touchdown the killer blow in the second half.

Elissalde, filling the vacuum left by the Fabien Galthie said he pounced at the right time.

"I could see that they were tired," said Elissalde. ''I waited for the right occasion and it paid off."

Lock forward Pascal Pape scored on his debut for Les Bleus. The other French tries came from powerful centre Yannick Jauzion and winger Vincent Clerc.

Ireland's two tries both came in a second-half fight-back, from Anthony Foley and Tyrone Howe.