A game with remarkable parallels to two seasons ago. As then, Ireland scrapped their way back from what was a calamitous state of affairs early in the second half to almost pinch the game. In the process, they regained some self-respect and eased the pressure on their embattled coach.

The difference was in the manner of the rearguard. Whereas in 2006, Ireland spent the final half-hour running the legs off ageing, tiring opponents, here their forwards beat up a callow French pack that had been weakened by substitutions.

By the end, France were hanging on desperately, but once they forced Ireland wide, there was also something desperate about Ireland’s attempts to land the killer blow. In short, they lacked the players who could administer the fatal wound – players such as Cedric Heymans, Aurelien Rougerie and especially Vincent Clerc, who scored a stunning first-half hat-trick. These three were the real heroes of the piece and they were deserved winners.

Eddie O’Sullivan’s growing band of critics will claim that he was helped out of a fix by his opposite number Marc Lievremont, who began emptying his bench on 50 minutes, just after Cedric Heymans had sauntered in for France’s fourth try. At that stage, Ireland were 26-6 in arrears and still reeling from that first-half hat-trick by their least-favourite opponent, Clerc.

“I have the feeling that France got out of jail at the end,” O’Sullivan said. “I thought we played really well. The first half cost us dearly on two turnovers and then the try in the second half which was an unfortunate bounce. We came back into the game really well, kept our composure, worked very hard as a team and if anything deserved a little bit better at the end than we got.”

Critics will also ask whether Ireland were assisted by referee Nigel Owens, who, according to the statistics, gave just one penalty against Ireland in the entire game and also was far too quick to award a penalty try against the French scrum . That said, the Irish players will take enormous encouragement from the very fact that they kept going after what was a truly disastrous first half, and especially the resilience of the pack, in which Jamie Heaslip made an outstanding Six Nations debut. They might also take some consolation for the fact that when the French back three are in this form, few sides can live with them.

Ireland got a lot wrong in that first half and they paid heavily for their mistakes. Top of the list was the lineout, where they coughed up four balls and spoiled several promising positions. That France took 15 minutes to open their account was mainly due to Jean-Baptiste Elissalde missing an easy early penalty and the failure of their scrum to provide a solid platform five metres from the Irish try-line.

For a brief period in the first quarter, the Irish backs rediscovered the benefits of running onto the pass from deep. One move including offloads by Andrew Trimble, Rob Kearney and David Wallace was top class and had France scrambling in defence.

The only problem with running at this French side is what happens when you turn the ball over, as Ireland found to their cost. When the Irish forwards fell back into the habit of taking the ball flat and stationary, it was inviting trouble. Cue Clerc’s first try. Lionel Nallet’s counter-ruck won the ball initially and then Elissalde had the awareness to spot a vulnerable right wing in Denis Leamy. His box-kick sat up kindly for Clerc and France were in business.

Ireland responded promptly with a Ronan O’Gara penalty when a French forward failed to release but there were a mere four minutes between Clerc’s first and second tries – clearly the French reckoned they could expose Geordan Murphy, as they had done in Croke Park last season.

All it took was a strong attacking line by David Skrela to put the Irish wing in two minds – to step in or to stay out on the danger man? Skrela coasted between him and Leamy and the damage was done. A simple pass and Clerc was dotting down all too comfortably.

Ireland kept in touch with a second O’Gara penalty but the second quarter was painful for them. O’Gara worked an attacking lineout with a clever diagonal only for Bernard Jackman to be picked off again, this time by Julien Bonnaire.