La France magnifique, l'Irlande quel désastre! That was the story from the Aga Khan yesterday when the French trounced the opposition for the second year in a row, and the home side only managed to claw their way back up the order to a share of third after a far from promising start.
"The horses were plenty good enough," a disgusted Irish team manager, Tommy Wade, said afterwards, "but the riders made mistakes. They threw it away."
Wade had tipped the Irish as winners, and bookies Paddy Power were in full agreement, quoting the hosts as 7/4 favourites to claim the honours.
But the scriptwriter forgot to put the Irish riders in the picture and, with a first round devoid of an Irish clear, equal fifth was the highest the green coats could climb at the break.
The French, leaders in the Samsung league by the slenderest of margins from the Irish, were all set for a repeat of their 2002 victory in the Ballsbridge arena and set themselves up superbly with three foot-perfect rounds that left them level with the equally faultless Dutch at the halfway stage.
But while the French negotiated a path to victory through the swirling sea mist, the Dutch floundered in the murk.
Last year's Kerrygold Grand Prix winner, Marc Houtzager, had to nurse a recalcitrant Jacomar back to the water for a second attempt and then hit the red oxer after the combination for an expensive eight-plus-two on the clock, and Eric van der Vleuten followed with eight.
As the Dutch No 3 came in to try and salvage something from the wreckage, the French had already notched up a brace of clears that really put the writing on the wall.
A zero from Wim Schroder, minus his electric blue jacket and now sporting a traditional team jacket, would have kept Holland in the hunt.
But even though Eurocommerce Montreal left the fences untouched, an extra .83 had ticked by on the clock, and the resulting time fault handed victory to the French on a plate filled with gourmet delicacies.
French No 4 Michel Hecart didn't need to be recalled, but there were still the lower placings to be decided, and the Irish, finally, were getting their act together. Clears from Billy Twomey and Kevin Babington gave the crowds a reason to be cheerful, but it was too little too late.
A double clear from Robert Smith with the Irish-bred Mr Springtime, one of only three in the entire competition, gave the British a chance of a climb up another rung.
And when Dutch No 4 Peter Geerink hit two, Britain overhauled them for second, dropping the Dutch down to share third with Ireland.
The win has now given the French a clear six-point lead over Ireland in the Samsung Super League, with Britain still lying third, eight marks further off the pace.
But there are other major issues to be decided before the seventh round in the series, with the European championships in Germany now less than a fortnight away.
The French will be fielding an even stronger quartet, including two of their world gold medal team from Jerez, in their bid to steal the European crown from the Irish in Donaueschingen.
But the Gallic Dublin winners are expected to line out for the next round in the Samsung series at Rotterdam just four days after the championships.
When the going gets tough, the French undoubtedly get going.