Azam demands Andrew apology

'We had a chat for five or 10 minutes and there is no problem between us. I'm not interested in speaking to Mr Andrew. All I want is for him to say he is sorry through the newspaper.'

Ireland could also do worse than say the same. The magnitude of Saturday's defeat left them no option - especially as France achieved it despite throttling back for long stretches of the second half.

Just when everyone, especially the Irish, thought their team had risen above this sort of thing, they were given a roasting of Welsh proportions. Another record beating, another no-contest offered disturbing confirmation based on the evidence of the last nine weeks that the Six Nations is a two-horse race with the rest nowhere.

Ireland's Keith Wood said: 'There was only one word for their rugby - irresistible. They've always been capable of being brilliant for 20 minutes and then they'd do something off-the-wall. Not any more.'

Quite so, but the manner of the French rout contained further material of a disturbing nature. They were terrific but only for as long as they needed to be. Had they been goaded into keeping their foot on the accelerator, France would have reached 70.

The Irish were mighty thankful to Brian O'Driscoll's heroics in preventing at least two more tries. It is not inaccurate to argue that a trio of French players, Olivier Magne and two helpers, were in more danger of busting a gut trying to uncork a jeroboam of champagne in the dressing room than at any time during the match. The biggest French hero of all refused all invitations to cavort round the pitch to the theme of Star Wars. Bernard Laporte has transformed his team from a national joke into the best in Europe, better than England - and that really is saying something.

What sets him apart from other French coaches, is that before he changed the results, he changed the worst habits of a lifetime. For all their fitful brilliance down the decades, the French would often self-destruct because successive teams were flawed by fragile temperament.

Laporte held his nerve until his players learned to keep theirs without setting off an avalanche of penalties. But they have not achieved it without help of South African tighthead Pieter de Villiers and the New Zealand Maori centre Tony Marsh.

Rejuvenated by the discovery of the bounding Basque Imanol Harinordoquy at No.8 and Damien Traille at outside centre, they will be better equipped to win next year's World Cup than ever before.

France have won three Slams in five years and Magne, their flanker who will now consider offers to join the English Premiership next season, has played in all three. What England would give for just one.