Paul Wallace couldn't provide any answers, simply shrugged as he tried to explain away the devastation of the defeat by Australia. No excuses, no what might have beens, just an acknowledgment that Ireland had played poorly.

The frustration, the legacy of an unfulfilling afternoon that began with such promise, was tangible. Wallace admitted: "It was so disappointing. We didn't even come close to playing to our ability. After the first half we were still in it, despite the way we played.

"However the Australians raised their game after the restart. Sometimes with the wind at your back you relax a little mentally. You expect the wind to do the work. Psychologically we did not rise to the challenge. I don't know what the statistics were but it seemed like they dominated the possession stakes. We had to work so hard to get any ball and when we did we didn't make the best use of it some of the time. It was one of those days.

"Their (the Australians) line-out worked well, they got to grips with the new laws. Still we should have been able to disrupt them more than we did. If we want to compete, if we even want to consider winning a semi-final then these are the matches that you have to do well in: we didn't and we don't have any excuses."

The Irish dressing-room was understandably morose. "Everyone was gutted. This was a game we really believed that we could win. It sounds strange to say it at this moment. We are a better team than we showed today but it is up to us to prove that. The Australians were very good, their movement exceptional."

The Saracens prop was one of Ireland's better performers on the day but for him that was not the case: there wasn't any consolation, nor did he even attempt to accept any plaudits. "To those looking on it might have seemed that I was playing well. I got around the pitch more but that is because I have regained some confidence after a spate of injuries. I did okay, not too bad I suppose, but I can certainly improve on that."

The preoccupation now for Ireland is their match against Romania at Lansdowne Road on Friday night. "I haven't seen the Romania-USA game but I've heard that the Romanians aren't a bad side. I believe they are very good in attack. Obviously they have a chance to qualify after beating the States so there will be pressure.

"We are going to have to take our chances and improve significantly from today. That was probably one of the most disappointing aspects of our performance. When we did manage to get into their 22, which wasn't often, we didn't come away with any points. You simply have to do that to win matches like this.

"I honestly believe that Australia and the All Blacks are beatable but to do so you have to be at your best and take the chances presented." And with that Wallace departed to rejoin his team-mates, tiny islands in a sea of faces, fulfilling a duty with the fixed smiles of people who would rather be anywhere else and for whom tomorrow really can not come quickly enough.