One had to feel sorry for the Irish players after the final whistle was blown in a game they certainly deserved to win. The cruel manner of defeat added to the disappointment of the occasion.

At first it appeared that France had stolen the victory when two unnecessary penalties gave Castaignede the opportunity to put France in the lead for the first time. The penalty decisions may have been harsh, but you don't give the referee the opportunity of making such a decision at such a vital point in a close game.

Then Ireland, making a last supreme effort, earned the opportunity to regain the victory, and what we all hoped would not happen came to pass. The result depended, at that point, on the ability of the Irish place kicker to convert a reasonable penalty opportunity. It was a difficult kick, but far more difficult for a player who has not been kicking regularly all season. And so the game was won and lost.

The decision not to pick an inform place kicker probably cost Ireland the match. It is not an easy choice, but one the management will now have to make. The best teams in the world have always included top-class place kickers. In fact, they have depended on them. Grant Fox (New Zealand), Michael Lynagh (Australia) and Joel Stransky (South Africa) have been crucial in winning the last three World Cups for their countries. The Lions picked Neil Jenkins out of position at full back on the South African Tour in 1997 and he won the series for them.

Ireland, realistically, do not have a creative centre at present, in the style of Mike Gibson or Brendan Mullen, and this limits greatly our try-scoring ability. In fact, I thought our biggest problem on Saturday came when we had retained possession through an number of phases of play and David Humphreys felt obliged to move the ball to his centres. Apart from Rob Henderson's charges there was no threat whatsoever in that area.

The selectors now have to decide on the following: Is Conor O'Shea sufficiently better than Simon Mason as a player; Is Girvan Dempsey so much more reliable than Niall Woods; Is David Humphreys so much more in form than Eric Elwood, or do they rely on Humphreys becoming a more reliable place kicker?

I thought the forwards played extremely well and the back row, in particular, were outstanding. I was worried how the absence of Andy Ward might affect the defence, as I have always considered Eric Miller and Dion O'Cuinneagain as ball handlers rather than tacklers, but they had huge games. O'Cuinneagain, in my view, was the outstanding Irish player.

Victor Costello's departure was a big loss at that particular stage, as we needed him to carry the ball into the wind, which had begun to blow more strongly.

Both second rows got through an immense amount of work and came out on top in the line outs. The battle was tough in the front row and I suspect, at times, there were quite a few unpleasantries exchanged. The referee, having favoured the Irish front row with his decisions in the first half, went entirely in the opposite direction in the second.

At the final whistle the French tight head, Franck Tournaire, made some gestures to Keith Wood which I hope not to see again after an international game. When the final whistle goes the game is over and it should be left at that.

Conor McGuinness played extremely well at scrum half in what to date had been a difficult season. I thought Humphreys played extremely well and showed great character in not allowing his early penalty misses (which were quite straightforward kicks) upset him. The break he made midway through the first half deserved better, but the lack of speed in the midfield destroyed the opportunity.

Rob Henderson made a lot of ground with his charges and Kevin Maggs tackled bravely, but personally I would prefer at least one creative player in the middle of the park. I suspect from postmatch comments that we may see Bell and Henderson together for the Welsh game. If we do we'll certainly have to kick our penalties. Both wingers did all that was asked of them. They were never really tested in defence, but they chased and competed for a lot of ball. Conor O'Shea had probably his best game for Ireland and looked extremely alert to any opportunities that came his way.

On a cautionary note, our scrum did not look as comfortable in the last 20 minutes, and while the Welsh will not pressurise us in this area it will need to improve for the English match later in the year. We also need to deal with kick-offs to us more efficiently. Untidyness and indecision in this area put us under pressure on Saturday.

The French knew it was going to be a hard match and in this regard they weren't disappointed. They readily acknowledged that they were extremely lucky to win. They will get better as the weather improves and so too will their performance. Everything was right for Ireland on Saturday: the spirit was good, the players were on form and the weather was perfect (for us). In the end we lost because we simply couldn't kick our penalties. P.S. The sight of the players covered in blue dye from the advertising on the pitch was appalling. The IRFU should immediately rescind the decision to do this and preserve the dignity of the players and the respect for the playing surface. Furthermore, the International Rugby Board should ban it from all grounds. This really was professionalism out of control.

P.P.S. I can still hear the IRFU saying rugby will never be professional in Ireland.

(In an interview with Johnny Watterson)