While Ireland were making hard work of beating Ulster in heavy weather during the weekend, England were running up 90-odd against muck disguised as All-Stars, France were rekindling hope by running up 80-odd against a weakened and ill-prepared Brive, while earlier last week the All Blacks had a fullscale private trial match manned by 12 security guards. Each to their own I suppose, but the Irish rugby psyche is a frustrating animal.

Aside from the relative weakness of Ireland's second-string, and the lack of genuine cover in all but four or five positions, the most worrying aspect of Ireland's pre-World Cup performances was their general flatness. Not even the employment of management consultants could serve to change this time-honoured Irish custom. By comparison, there was no holding back from England.

For sure, England's match on Saturday night was pyjama rugby from about the 20th minute on. When you saw England taking a long, quick throw into midfield around the half-hour mark (by which point they were already averaging more than a point a minute) it had already ceased to have anything in common with, say, their pivotal group match against the All Blacks. It was also utterly boring.

The second of these much-hyped but shallow Twickenham events left a particularly bad taste in the mouth due to all the injuries sustained by the so-called All Stars, one of which saw Niall Woods stretchered off with cruciate knee ligament damage which is liable to sideline him for the remainder of the season.

Apparently, not one English player bothered to clap when Woods was stretchered off, and though the Sky commentators went to great lengths to inform their viewers at half-time that Matt Dawson had merely sustained two stitches in a cut knee, not a dickey bird was mentioned about Woods's health.

But in the heel of the hunt, Lawrence Dallaglio looks like a man on a mission and in brilliant nick, and amid the host of other positives England were still focused and hungry enough to run up 90 points. On their form in the last two weeks, Ireland wouldn't have run up 90 in a fit.

That Ireland wouldn't put Munster and Ulster to the sword was almost ordained. As with the preparations in 1991, Ireland's World Cup players generally just weren't `up' for it. Donal Lenihan had a resigned air in admitting as much, as if to say he knew it was coming but still couldn't do anything about it. It must do his head in. Why couldn't they all approach it like Keith Wood?

So will the real Ireland please stand up? Most probably the first hour against Argentina was the truest barometer of what is to come next Saturday week in their Pool E opener against the USA. It had better be, for a reproduction of Sunday's performance would see Ireland struggling to even put the United States away.

The Americans have had a bad run of things recently, barely qualifying and some way behind both Argentina and Canada, before losing by a ton against England and a half-century against a second-string Wales. But they'll be big and athletic, strong-running, heavy-hitting types and they're bound to have one big game in them; and that could well be their first.

Yet, despite all the evidence to the contrary, you still would have to believe that the real Ireland will stand up against the United States. Where they go from there might seem a bit fanciful at this juncture, but then the questions as to how they will approach their pivotal Pool E game against Australia will resurface.

The theory that this might be the game to rest some key players, partly on the premise that qualifying in second place theoretically offers the more negotiable route to the semi-finals, has some merit. France at Lansdowne Road in the quarterfinals may be preferable to Wales at the Millennium Stadium, if it comes down to it.

BUT who knows, Wales might be the team that goes belly-up (there's usually one), while France could yet turn things around. The prospects of a French renewal gathered momentum over the weekend with that work-out against Brive.

It was by no means the real Brive that the French beat, but the performance of Les Bleus has engendered real hope. Things clearly started to click for them and Thomas Castaignede began to find some confidence again.

For all the misguidedness of their coaching staff and that masochistic summer tour to Tonga, Western Samoa and New Zealand, there is still plenty of talent within their ranks. Come the quarter-finals, they could have three wins under their belt. And, what's more, France are a bogey side for Ireland, whereas Ireland have been Wales's nemesis.

However, leaving all that aside, the real question is: what's best for Ireland? I feel a bit of a U-turn coming on. The more one thinks about it, the more one is inclined to believe that the best approach for Ireland would be to keep the first-choice side which plays against the USA en bloc for the second outing against Australia and really go for it. Give it a lash in time-honoured Irish fashion. Mentally, such an approach would suit Ireland better than being coy and clever. Quite aside from letting the knockout route take care of itself, it's worth noting that the Australians are reputedly edgy about this game. And with good reason, bearing in mind their memories of 1991 and, more recently, Perth. Aside from all the other benefits, a surprise win would take the pressure off entirely against Romania.

Even a good Irish performance would have its benefits. This game, after all, is already a 48,000 sell-out, whereas the USA and Romanian games have hit the 30,000 mark. It will also be the game with the biggest TV audience, and, (worth repeating) therefore the one most likely to generate a public bandwagon in what has been, bizarrely, a hopelessly under-sold tournament not only here but seemingly everywhere.

Of course if Ireland lose they may not be able to rest some of their first-choice players in their third pool match as, say, New Zealand and England will be able to do for their third pool games against Italy and Tonga. Nor could Ireland afford to gamble with their second-choice side against Romania, if the performance against Munster last Friday week was anything to go by.

Potentially, therefore, Ireland's key players could be asked to play five games in 23 days. It's a big ask, but the truth is that the Irish management don't have too many resources to manoeuvre with.

In any case, it could be that Gatland was throwing a curve ball on New Zealand radio a couple of weeks ago, and much of this debate is just redundant good fun. And if it keeps the Aussies guessing, well so much the better.