IT was growing up time for the Irish in Rotterdam last night when Mick McCarthy's reconstructed team produced a performance of some substance to provide an authentic test of Holland's European championship ambitions.

In the end, the Dutch got their expected win but only after Gary Breen had threatened to stand football logic on its head and sour their departure for England with a superb lead goal.

Refusing to be intimidated by either the occasion or the quality of one of Europe's better teams, the Irish youngsters fought with courage and no little skill until fatigue finally overtook them in the last quarter.

Then, with McCarthy changing tack and withdrawing a player from midfield in the hope of strengthening his defence, two goals in the last 13 minutes from Clarence Seedorf and substitute Phillip Cocu, restored an element of realism and the Irish adventurers, playing their third game in less than a week, were finally broken.

Shay Given, expanding in stature with each consecutive game, was. quite the busier of the two goalkeepers and on occasions, stood between Holland and a win of considerably wider proportions. Yet, the visitors created at least three good chances and that was a reassuring spectacle on a night when they strung passes together with a fluency which we have not seen from an Irish team for some considerable time.

Unlike the Croatians last Sunday, the Dutch kept their effort going for the full 90 minutes with Seedorf and Edgar Davids providing the midfield service which saw Dennis Bergkamp riddle the defence in the closing stages.

At times, he may have, been tempted to believe that Given's relatively slight frame filled the entire area between the Posts, but after delivering the first goal with some superb footwork, he then found the gaps in a tiring defence to set up the decisive scores.

On the first occasion, he picked out Seedorf with sufficient accuracy that the Sampdoria player had ample time to tuck away the close range shot in the 77th minute and he was again the provider when Cocu distorted the scoreline with another wounding blow for the Irish two minutes from the end.

All three Dutch strikes, were executed with aplomb but no more so than Breen's first international goal in the 13th minute. Alan Kernaghan, promoted to captaincy for the first time, was the improbable architect with a cross from the right and the Birmingham player made precise contact with his head to leave Edwin Van der Sar stranded.

Alan McLoughlin, no more than a bit player for much of his international career, took the responsibility for directing operations in midfield; alongside him, Liam O'Brien, likewise trading from a doubtful background, was not sparing in his efforts and with Alan Moore and Terry Phelan pitching in willingly, they never conceded in an increasingly uneven battle in midfield in the last half hour,

Kernaghan led the team well, Ian Harte was not inadequate in his first full game at left back and if Breen made a couple of mistakes which "would have been punished by more accurate finishing by the Dutch, he, too, will recall this exercise with some pride.

Jeff Kenna, was more authoritative on this occasion than in neither of his last two appearances but had already departed the scene when Holland, delivering on the expectations of their supporters, finally cut loose in that one sided finale.

The passing of the old era and the arrival of the new one, was reflected in a mere scattering of Irish supporters in the crowd. McCarthy's embryonic team hasn't yet, it seems, fired the imagination of the masses and with Dutch fans reserving their applause - and their money - for the European championship finals in England, the superbly appointed Feyenoord Stadium, capacity 50,000, was little more than a third full at kick off time.

In every other aspect, however, the scene was authentic. Song filled the arena, conviviality was everywhere in evidence and the Dutch, as always, produced a quality of football to match the carnival occasion.

The weight of the early Dutch attack was no more than we suspected. Less predictable was the manner of the Irish response as Breen grew ever taller to convert Kernagban's cross into the classic goal of its type.

Irish jubilation was it seemed, matched only by Dutch belief and it was some time before they regained their composure sufficiently for Cruyff to fire a swerving shot at Given from the edge of the box. The goalkeeper was perfectly placed to avert that danger, but intuition couldn't rescue him when Bergkamp chipped him from 20 yards and with the help of a deflection from Breen, the ball entered the net for the equaliser in the 28th minute.

Witschge, finding more and more room in midfield, let loose another powerful drive which only narrowly missed the target shortly afterwards, but Ireland's impressive conviction on the break was again illustrated when Connolly curled his shot just wide at the end of a fine move involving Moore and McLoughlin.

Connolly's persistence identifies one of the bigger assets in this emerging Irish side and it was illustrated yet again in the 53rd minute to release Phelan on the left. In a one on one situation, however, the Chelsea player couldn't find the gap between Van der Sar and his right hand post and a fine chance was lost.