Ireland now have a Grand ambition

'It's not unusual for us to be talking about the need for improvement at this stage of the competition. What is unusual is that we're talking about it in such a healthy position.'

It is not overstating the matter, in fact, to say that Ireland now see themselves among the favourites for the 2001 crown.

With France coach Bernard Laporte hailing their attacking trio of try-scorer Brian O'Driscoll, Ronan O'Gara and Rob Henderson as 'perhaps the best midfield in the world', it is hard to argue with Irish logic.

Saturday's victory, Ireland's first over Les Bleus in Dublin since 1983, was full of flaws and achieved despite a late French rally which left the home side clinging on.

Skipper Keith Wood revealed that, at a team meeting early last week, there was a group decision to view this game not only as a fixture which Ireland could win - but one they should expect to win.

'Self-belief isn't a bad thing,' he explained. 'Our attitude on that has to change, there's no choice. We can't be the valiant underdogs all our lives, we don't want to be.

'Some people view that as being arrogance. If they take that view, then they never really wanted to be winners.

'We believed we could beat them but we also realise how hard it is to make the transition from being hockeyed four years ago by 40 points to this stage where, over the last four matches, we've won two and lost two - and the ones we've lost have been by one or two points.

'If I got a bit over-animated at the end, well, I just love it.'

Wood was extremely animated at the final whistle, leaping into the air and cavorting with team-mates who had given everything.

They may have allowed the French to fight back from 22-3 down with 20 minutes remaining, conceding easy-looking tries to Fabien Pelous and Philippe Bernat-Salles, but Ireland had earned the right to celebrate. If O'Gara had converted just one more of the eight penalties which came his way - he bagged five - Dublin's emergency rooms might not have been so full of suspected heart attack victims on Saturday night.

The brilliant O'Driscoll wound a fair number of tickers up to full speed on his own, particularly during the three-minute wait for video judge Brian Campsall to award his breakthrough try which put Ireland into a 19-3 lead.

They must have replayed the incident - O'Driscoll diving past Xavier Garbajosa but not quite appearing to get the touchdown with his left arm - half-a-dozen times on the big screen before referee Scott Young signalled the try.

When O'Gara converted a penalty which he had helped win himself by breaking through the middle, the apparently unassailable lead was entirely justified.