Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

Tue 10 Oct 2007French press dismissive of Irish performancesIreland v Argentina Media reaction:The reaction to Ireland's departure from the 2007 Rugby World Cup is perhaps best encapsulated by one of Argentina's secondrows, Patricio Albacete. When asked how it felt to beat the Irish, he responded: "Ireland represents nothing to me. If they are out of the World Cup I don't care. I'm just happy that we won the four matches and we are still in the World Cup."Albacete's words mirror the French media's reaction. The overwhelming editorial response is that Ireland brought nothing to this tournament from a rugby perspective so why mourn their departure. The Irish flattered to deceive, couldn't substantiate their pre-World Cup hype where it mattered, on the pitch.