Les Bleus march on

Vincent Clerc ran in two tries but it was the kicking of his Toulouse team-mate Elissalde that laid the foundations for victory with the scrum-half landing five penalties.

A drop goal from Ronan O'Gara was Ireland's solitary response and by the end of a disappointing contest, Eddie O'Sullivan's side had once again been reduced to a disorganised rabble.

While O'Sullivan dubiously blamed huge error counts for the lamentable victories over Namibia and Georgia, tonight there was no escaping the simple truth that they are just not good enough.

Stronger, faster and more aggressive - France blew their major Pool D rivals away with a display that healed the scars of a disastrous curtain raiser against Argentina.

French Rugby Federation president Bernard Lapasset had billed the match as the most important in the nation's professional rugby history but there was no hint of stage fright from Les Bleus this time.

Ireland's commitment kept them in touch until Clerc's opening try in the 59th minute but they possessed little else to trouble the hosts, who could yet top the group.

They were one-dimensional in attack, often resorting to the kick-and-hope tactics that served Argentina so well two weeks ago, and their vaunted backline made little impression.

When France cranked up the pressure they had no answer and by the end of the contest looked a weary, confused team that has been together too long.

A slight flicker of hope remains over their ambitions of progressing from the World Cup's 'pool of death', but the permutations required against Argentina look way beyond them.