World Cup countdown:Ravenhill as you've never seen it. Ireland shirts and summer sun slanting across the Belfast turf, splashing up into the tee-shirted rugby congregation and along the stands to the small spire of the Baptist church overlooking the ground.

Ireland's final instalment before Bordeaux and Paris rarely burned brightly and if fans were looking for fire and brimstone from Eddie O'Sullivan's men, the first Ireland team to play here since 1954, they would have left in the hope that the creative energy will arrive in two weeks' time.

There was little missionary zeal or malicious intent last night in Ireland's performance. Some homilies were in order for work ethic and grunt and maybe heart to keep fighting into the final seconds for the win but more questions were being asked than answered. Italy were modestly asking, Ireland were staying mum.

"Disappointed is a word I'd use," said Eddie O'Sullivan after Ronan O'Gara had salvaged the match with the last kick of the game. "We didn't create anything really. We didn't really get into a rhythm out there.

"In the first half we played into a strong wind and we had most of the ball in our own half and a lot of lineouts. Stop-start game. Second half we needed to ratchet it up and get into the game but we didn't get that done.

"Very disappointed to say the least. It didn't happen for us out there," added the Irish coach.

"I suppose the one good thing is we probably didn't deserve to get that try at the end in the sense that it was against the run of play but we showed a lot of character to come back and win the game from that position. I think a lot of teams would have turned round and gone home."

The try exercised the minds of the Italians after the match. Not slow about confronting the issues that bothered them, the Frenchman and Italian coach Pierre Berbizier was apoplectic about O'Gara's try being allowed.

"We won today. We won today," said Berbizier as if repeating a mantra.

"He lost the ball. I don't smile. He lost the ball," he said referring to the try, which the video referee awarded after the ball was seen to bounce backward before the outhalf again touched down as he lay on the ground. It was a tough and marginal call and one that clearly irked the Italians.

"No. We won't be making a protest," added Berbizier, having made his point most forcefully.

For O'Sullivan, thoughts will turn to how he can get his side to world cup level in what is now a relatively sort time. Thankfully Ireland's easier games are the first two up, which may give the Irish team to iron out some of the problems.

"I think our ruck ball was slowed down a lot tonight. The key to our game is quick ruck ball, clearing the ruck and getting it away quickly but there was a lot of digging for the ball tonight, a lot of slow ball. They are a physical side and once we didn't get it going, we were on the back foot and it was going to be a hard day out.

"We won a lot of lineout ball but the maul didn't work, which is often a good platform for us. We weren't getting it going. A lot of small things really I feel despite that we're not a hundred miles away but we've got to make the fixes pretty soon. There is not a lot of time left. At the end of the day, we have a lot of hard work to do over the next three weeks."

But there were some positives to take home from a flat, uneasy night in Belfast. They might not give much comfort but O'Sullivan was looking were he could after a night where Ireland were expected to finish their World Cup preparations with vigour and pomp. Believing now is everything.

"I think in the physically stakes in the back row we matched them," said O'Sullivan, searching. "We won a lot of collisions out there and we defended very well. They'd a lot of ball but we put in a lot of big hits and Neil Best played remarkably well."