Change for the better suggests the way forward

Liam Toland's Analysis: On 33 minutes the score stood at France 12, Ireland 6 when Eoin Reddan tapped a penalty yards from his line.

The resultant run and accurate pass had Ireland flying out of defence. When Geordan Murphy was eventually pulled down on the halfway line, he controlled the ball and Ireland were off again. But this time there was no shape, no cut and thrust. Ireland turned over the ball and from my vantage point the alignment, pace and running angles of the three subsequent French ball carriers, in particular Cedric Heymans, were majestic. They managed, in six seconds, to run 50 metres for Vincent Clerc's third try. Perhaps the difference between the sides.

This was an extraordinary rugby match in which though Ireland came up short at 26-21 they at long last performed.

Last week in Croke Park the Irish public grew so frustrated they eventually wanted Italy to win. On Saturday they were jumping out of their seats for Ireland. This was a performance that the video nerds can cut to pieces - errors in the lineout, errors in midfield, 11 missed tackles - but who cares?

From the off there was a palpable sea change to the Irish game: huge energy, quick defensive line speed and a clearly discernible shape to the game, provided in the main by Reddan's flat pace to a speeding Ronan O'Gara, who had several options both inside and out.

Where did the energy and motivation come from? Maybe it was the new voices; maybe it was the old voices; but one thing is for sure: everybody from Eddie O'Sullivan down performed.

When a team performs it's easy to ignore the deficiencies. So what can Ireland learn from last Saturday? Well, obviously changes both in squad selection and tactics bring difficulties but the rewards can be huge. Rob Kearney is an example; ordinarily he would not have started on Saturday, but he proved talent will perform no matter the circumstances.

O'Sullivan should continue to alter the squad every so slightly each week in order to infuse fresh life, ideas and motivation.

The back-line alignment needs constant attention and in particular off broken play. I say this with confidence in the knowledge Ireland had 58 per cent of possession last Saturday and were in the French half 63 per cent of the time, but lost. Far too often from broken play O'Gara was forced to pass to players who were standing still.

The French maintain such amazing depth when in possession it allows them to attack the ball at pace, running simple but hard angles, creating huge strain on defences.

Last Saturday I mentioned the need to focus on Fulgence Ouedraogo - "Fufu" to his team-mates - because the French lean heavily on his athleticism. Unfortunately he managed to influence two critical Irish lineouts. It's always easy to blame the hooker on these occasions but by Rory Best's arrival the lessons had been learned - stay away from Fufu - and to their credit they threw to Donncha O'Callaghan at the front, which created untold damage to a wilting French pack.

Incredibly the touchline was rarely crossed, the Irish giving France only eight lineouts.

As for Marc Lièvremont, the French coach, Stade de France was no Murrayfield. He has learned invaluable lessons in his second international. Firstly, a rugby match is 80 minutes long and he must plan accordingly. Having scored four tries in the opening 50 minutes his team should not have limped home.

Secondly, his bench is a vital tool, but he must use it wisely, for his 46th-minute double replacement of prop Lionel Faure and hooker Dimitri Szarzewski for William Servat and Julien Brugnaut could have cost him dearly.

But his biggest lesson comes from that powerless feeling that runs through any coach as he sees a 20-point advantage whittled to five.

In terms of performance the French back three were awesome but the Irish backrow deserves enormous credit for the revival. For me one player stood out most and that was David Wallace. He continues to play three positions at once, but if he can do so who cares what number is on his back?

At half-time I had a quote from Blackadder Goes Forthin mind for this piece but the last 30 minutes of Ireland's performance deserved so much more so here's one from the Italian Stallion.

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that!"

Lesson for today: massive improvement but keep moving forward.