Ronan O'Gara: It all starts with that old Paul O'Connell expression, the TNTs

I love how Enrique has turned all that on its head with the force of his personality. It jumped off the TV, the tightness of this group. When they lost the ball, wow, they bust their balls to get it back pronto. A team that never used to press properly.

Where does that change in culture come from? It starts with the TNTs, that Paul O’Connell expression. Takes No Talent. You want to be world class at the TNTs. That’s how you get quick buy-in, get players that are accountable, grow bonds within a group.

See how he was getting into them in the teamtalk before the penalties. Whatever about his players, he had me convinced they weren’t going to miss, though Vitinha did his best. Their body language was perfect. We got this. I read Manchester United were paying 170 grand for a body language consultant, but I’m not sure this is an area where you fake it to make it. It comes naturally with proper buy-in to a manager you believe in. You see it in the likes of South Africa, in little things like how they commit all-in to their kick chase.

I found the whole PSG performance a fascinating case study in the mental side of sport. Away from home, at Anfield particularly, it would have been very easy to fall back on fate. ‘We gave it a good go but penalties, it’s a lottery’. It’s fucking not. It’s the greatest test of mental strength. Especially in soccer because the target is big. I don’t have the science, but I’d say if you commit to a kick and belt it, placed well the ball is going to beat the dive of any keeper.

I found Enrique inspiring. It’s been a challenge for me lately, the mental side. So much of your energy and time is consumed by maybe fewer than three bad apples. Who can rot the good ones.

It’s different if you haven’t tasted success. Easier in some ways. If you’ve been double European champions, you want that taste back but the greatest attribute in sport is hunger. How do you replace that? That’s what I’m trying to reestablish.

When you achieve something, subconsciously an edge is knocked off. How do you get it back? Right away, I don’t like that position. If you’re talking about getting something back, you’re not driving on. The language isn’t strong enough.

Everything is still possible. With a little shift in attitude by 30 of the 40 players by 5 to 7%, that’s astronomical growth in your team. It’s down to me to deliver that.

Anyway, Galthié did more than alright. What is staggering is that France were 42-13 up with two minutes to play. In an away game. At home, in Paris, the floodgates can open, but we have to accept the floodgates opened in the Aviva. Ok, you salvage two tries, but it’s still an absolute walloping.

When Ireland score off a driving maul in the 41st minute, you think, whoa, this could take off. But how impressive were the French for that destructive half hour.

For me, it’s a perfect example of the 23-man game. The traditionalists, the old-schoolers, will tut tut at 7-1. But you play within the rules. How you shape your resources to be at your best over 80 minutes is the mark of a good coach.

I feared last week that Irish supporters might not appreciate how good some of these French players are. We can forget too how many they have. We hear a lot about our depth chart. Their depth is off the charts.

The beauty of the Irish setup is it’s tight and manageable. One strong province and three others. There are clear pathways and that fires ambition. Everyone can see the route. You’re two deep in every position. But when there’s a problem, where do you turn next? Is there enough competition?

Knock the Pro D2 if you want, but that’s the beauty of 30 pro teams. Competition is automatic.

So Dupont gets injured, everyone loses their shit. Lucu comes on, plays the game of his life. Plays as well as Dupont would have. Under incredible pressure. Now with Dupont out, you have a choice of Lucu, Nolann Le Garrec, Baptiste Serin. You’re not even talking about Couilloud from Lyon, who would get in most Test teams. Baptiste Jauneau and Bézy from Clermont. Bézy has played a good few times for France, Jauneau was on a summer tour. Max Machenaud is their Conor Murray, world of experience, but he wouldn’t get a look in.  

But that’s always been the challenge we’ve met, the pool of players. I wouldn’t be surprised in 5-10 years if we have to evolve. Talk of Jack Crowley to Leicester is a little reminder of the world outside. The IRFU model is so strong, but there is no harm too in an Irish guy who is excelling overseas still getting a look-in. In future, there may be outliers who don’t have to be based here. We may have to accept that.

Nowadays the risk is minimal anyway. You want to control your players? It’s a non-issue. The level of professionalism everywhere is so high now. The days of going drinking Saturday and Sunday are gone, this generation don't go there. Manage their minutes? If the club coach isn’t interested in managing your minutes, he’s not going to get much back from a guy anyway.

Crowley is back for Italy. I think that’s a reward for Jack’s attitude and professionalism and mental strength in dealing with a difficult situation. It’s good management as well. Jack's first Six Nations was exceptional, replacing Sexton under all that pressure. He hasn’t become the forgotten man, he’s just a guy who lost his place to a player from the dominant province who has a big ceiling.

But we saw last Saturday that the graph isn’t always linear in Test rugby. You take belts, you have tough moments. I’m sure the explanation to Sam is he’ll finish this game and he’ll get time to show he can bounce back.

After half-time, Ireland got battered in the collisions. If you’re not on the front foot it’s a different game for your 10 and Sam spent most of that period on the back foot. There are little areas in his game he needs to address. A few times there was kickspace but the execution wasn’t great, but that can happen anyone.

Italy gives everyone a chance to finish on a high. Quesada must be gutted they’ve shipped 120 points in the last two games. That’s desperately disappointing. They had gained respect but more performances like that and they’ll be sucked back into the Georgia question, like Wales have been.

They’ve a proud rugby culture and they will come out all guns blazing to try give something back to the people who pay good money through the gate.

Ireland players can’t say any of it publicly, but this is about finding a balance, between winning the game first and chasing bonuses and points. You want to first construct a performance where you break the Italians. Get frustrated with not scoring early on and it can give life to the underdog.

You build a score. That doesn’t necessarily mean you turn down the poles. You can still go three, six, nine. Then you score a try and you're 16-0 up. You’ve the game put to bed. Then you can think points. A high pace and a good workrate for the first 60, Italy might break in the last 20.

Kick to the corner early and don’t get over, that can backfire. It frustrates the team and gives energy to the home crowd. Captaincy is important this week. Turn down the posts when you know this driving maul can go over. Or we have a special play.

It’s still all in France’s hands. There was a lot of satisfaction here this week. The rugby supporter saw a French team that delivered what they were capable of. Against England, remember, if you measured the same players on a performance chart, they’d be three grades lower.

It’s still interesting. The French are rarely capable of arriving at the same pitch mentally twice in a row. For Scotland it’s a freebie, and that can be a dangerous hand, particularly with Finn Russell dealing. If the first 15 minutes go well for France, the floodgates could open at home. If they don’t anything is possible. And I mean anything.