A win is a win as they say but Ireland were lucky to get out of the Italy game with a win.

If it wasn’t for the excellent tackle by Peter O’Mahony on the Italy second row Joshua Furno, then they would have been in for a try and the way we were playing it would have been tough to get one back.

O’Mahony deserves enormous credit for the tackle but there is also the fact that the Italy player carried the ball in the wrong hand. If he had switched hands he would have been able to hold off the tackle. That doesn’t come down to size or how big a player is; it comes down to the fact that there was a player who isn’t used to scoring tries.

It was a strange game overall. I thought we started brilliantly, we were moving the ball really well and Keith Earls scored a really great try. Then the whole game changed. We dropped a couple of passes and there were a few knock-ons and there was a mentality change.

We started kicking way more than we did in the two previous games. I don’t know if it was a call by Jonathan Sexton or from the sideline, but we changed the tactics completely. Tommy Bowe was sent after more Garryowens in the second half than in the first two games put together. It was conservative, but it’s what we’re good at.

We went back to what brought us to winning two Six Nations Championships in the past two years. It might not be easy on the eye, but it is very effective.

The team has come in for a fair bit of criticism on the back of the game. Years ago you could shelter that out and have the media controlled by having your own press days, but now, with social media, the whole squad is very aware of what’s being said.

But criticism from the public pales in comparison to self-criticism. It’s a cliché, but players are their own worst critics.

On Monday and Tuesday, the players and coaches would have been looking at the videos of the Italy game, and nobody wants to see themselves knock on a ball or miss a tackle. It’s a shocking bad feeling, especially with the other players and coaches looking on. So, players are well aware of how they played on Sunday and the pressure that they face going into the France game. The game last weekend was a great reality check ahead of France this weekend.

Reality check

If we play like we did against Italy when we face the French, we won’t win. That performance wouldn’t beat New Zealand or Argentina either. We will face one of those two teams in the quarter finals now it is confirmed we have gotten out of the group.

Saying all of that, we’re entering a different aspect of the tournament now in the lead up to the France game. While we have already qualified out of the group, we’re essentially into knockout rugby now. If we beat the French then we will have Argentina in the quarter finals and we know we can beat them, but if we lose to France then it’s the All Blacks, which is a different challenge entirely.

My thoughts in this type of situation turns to the squad players. It was different against the likes of Romania and Canada because there were opportunities for the fringe players to train hard and get game time. Now it’s different. Joe Schmidt has his ideal first XV in his head and we have been very lucky in terms of injuries. So we will see the strongest team possible on Sunday and for the rest of the tournament.

There are really good players who are going to be left on the bench or out of the match day squad altogether. It’s those players’ job this week to be the opposition for the first team. They will be doing the French lineouts and running plays that the French have used already in the tournament.

It’s easy for these players to switch off and treat the next two weeks as a holiday, but you can’t allow that to happen.

I was in that position on the Lions tour in 2009. You’re in the squad but you’re not making the team and it’s a difficult situation.

You want your team to win, no doubt about it, but you kind of want the fella in your position not to do well. You want game time, it’s natural.

But if somebody switches off and next thing you know you’re in a semi-final with a couple of injuries and you’re from the bench, you won’t be ready and in the right mindset. It’s as simple as that.

You have to buy into what the management is saying, you have to be part of the squad even though you’re not starting.

It’s tough for the management team, too. They have to keep players motivated at a tough time.

Australian win

I have to say that I was very impressed with Australia in their win over England. The Aussies are a team that came into the tournament under the radar a little bit, but everyone knows them now.

Their scrum is exceptional. David Pocock and David Hooper in the backrow are great to watch. They operate very well as a unit. If you’re tackled and if both aren’t on top of you looking to steal the ball, then one is. Pocock is wearing the number eight jersey but also plays like a number seven in the way he steals so much ball.

With so much video analysis nowadays, the two of them will be well watched for the Wales game and for the rest of the tournament, but the Aussies look like a team that will go very far in the tournament.

The big game

Back to Ireland and the big game this weekend.

Rob Kearney will slot into fullback as he has recovered and Schmidt likes Jarred Payne, so I expect he’ll come into the centre. That leaves Tommy Bowe, Simon Zebo, Keith Earls and Dave Kearney for the two wing spots. I think Earls has proven himself well so far. He looks like Brian O’Driscoll when he’s in full flight – the way he moves and his side step and he has scored tries in the tournament.

Payne has received a lot of criticism which I think is unfair. He’s a tough competitor and has a lot of experience playing around the world. There are people who don’t remember a time that we didn’t have O’Driscoll playing at centre for us and people are used to having one of the best centres ever lining out for us. Payne is a different style and suits the game we play.

This week it’s about the squad stepping up their intensity and sharpening the skills. Jonathan Sexton will be pushing the backs to get their moves right and Paul O’Connell and Rory Best will be putting the forwards through their paces. It’s about hitting the ground running against the French, topping the group and avoiding the All Blacks.