Before Ireland faced France in Dublin, the talk was of a possible Grand Slam decider, at the same venue, against England in the final round of matches. Optimism abounded despite an unconvincing last-gasp victory against Italy first up. Now the best that Ireland can hope for is surely the Triple Crown, and even that will take some doing.
France were mediocre, even less convincing than in their defeat of Scotland. Ireland had home advantage and led at the interval. They outscored the French by three tries to one and yet somehow they contrived to lose a game that was there for the taking.
Ireland's litany of errors cannot be put down to inexperience. Nor can they say that they were put under any kind of sustained pressure. France did what they needed to do, but they will play more impressive rugby and lose, although it's hard to see them living up to the rugby union odds that made them second favourites for the Championship after that performance.
The Irish now face tricky away fixtures in Edinburgh and Cardiff, before meeting a rampant England side at home. They will do well to get out of this tournament with three victories. Youth is not on their side; as other teams mature, they may find their next three games tough going and they certainly don't look like Six Nations betting tips for the Triple Crown.
Ireland can still salvage some pride. They must do so to avoid entering the World Cup on a run of defeats. Even then, they will need to cut out the basic errors that gifted France points and might jeopardise their World Cup progress.
But soon the men in green will need to find some new blood. The Ireland team is full of wise heads on old legs, and without more balance there will be more defeats in store. Coach Declan Kidney may not have the same wealth of options as some of his counterparts; nevertheless, the time for rebuilding is fast approaching.
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