France coach Bernard Laporte has claimed that one reason for his side's slide from grand slam champions to also-rans was the lack of leadership displayed by his senior players.
The 38-year-old said that the loss of his southern hemisphere recruits Kiwi centre Tony Marsh, who has been recovering from a long term injury, and South African prop Pieter de Villiers, suspended for taking ecstasy and cocaine, had been a huge factor in France's decline.
Their fall from grace - in a match in which they were also without the injured inspirational skipper Fabien Galthie - accelerated with yesterday's defeat at Lansdowne Road.
"When we present the opposition with so many points one has to consider this defeat as a step backwards," said the former Stade Francais handler.
"Those points we considered our strengths have become our weaknesses, such as discipline.
"However above all we are missing the players who like Fabien Pelous can act as examples to the other players."
Players such as hooker and former captain Raphael Ibanez, flanker Serge Betsen and prop Jean-Jacques Crenca have been highlighted as three performers whose level has slipped markedly.
However it is the fly-half position which is seen as the major weak point for a side seen as the most likely to become the first team from the northern hemisphere to win the World Cup, later this year. Gerard Merceron is totally out of form and Francois Gelez showed on Saturday he lacks the nerve for the big occasion.
"It doesn't mean that I am going to drop 10 players just for the sake of it," said Laporte, the former Bordeaux-Begles scrum-half, who was never capped by his country.
"However I am going to increase the squad though I still believe that I already have 80 percent of the 30-strong group I will take to the World Cup finals."