Absolutely gutted

There's no other way to describe the feelings after Ireland were deservedly and unceremoniously dumped from the rugby World Cup on Sunday. Argentina were well worth their win on the day and I fancy the to roll over the Scots at the weekend.
But where did it all go wrong for the men in green. Will we ever find out what was going on in the camp or will we be resigned to unsubstantiated rumour and conjecture. There are lots of reasons being thrown about but I think we can cut them to three (and Eddie O'Sullivan isn't all three!).

1. The team were not prepared mentally. They were not ready for the intensity from the smaller teams (Namibia and Georgia) and as a result couldn't lift their game accordingly. The lost bonus v Georgia was the biggest nail in the coffin. Maybe they started to believe their own hype.

2. A related point this one, but too many players failed to show up on the night. Most teams can afford one or two poor performers on a given day, but All Blacks aside, none could cope with six or seven. In the Georgia game you could say all 15 failed to show up.

3. Eddie's response to the poor performances. Geordan Murphy's lack of game time was a huge mistake. His biggest. For me also, Neil Best and Alan Quinlan would have seen more game time. Brian Carney was worth a run out too.

A lot of attention has been placed on O'Gara's poor performance and he certainly wasn't at his best, but he bisected the Argentinian defence with two amazing passes, on the two occasions his pack gave him a good platform. As for Paddy Wallace, it really would have been a gamble to play a guy who doesn't even get picked at out-half for his province and I understand why Eddie didn't do it.

Anyone who thinks there is bias there should look at how he was willing to play Eoin Reddan, who did well under difficult circumstances.

Ultimately the venture was a bitter failure and all we can do is look forward to the Six Nations with these boisterous fans who revelled on the streets of Paris, despite the disappointing results.