Jamie Heaslip admitted Ireland's 17-17 draw against France in the RBS Six Nations felt like a defeat.
No.8 left disappointed following draw in Paris
Jamie Heaslip admitted Ireland's 17-17 draw against France in the RBS Six Nations felt like a defeat after they squandered an 11-point lead.
Two tries from Tommy Bowe had seen Ireland lead 17-6 at the break, but Les Bleus hit back after the break - with a try from Wesley Fofana and six points from the boot of Morgan Parra.
The outcome in Paris extends the worst away run in the championship's history, consisting of one victory in 40 years.
And Heaslip claim the Ireland players were left feeling down after the result.
"I was interviewed after the game and they said 'You must be happy with that result', but it's a pretty hard pill to swallow," Heaslip said.
"We came here to win and outscored France two tries to one, so to draw is a mixed bag. It's frustrating.
Self-belief
"We were confident at half-time. We'll look at the penalties, some of them we might agree with, some of them we might not.
"The self-belief was there, it's always there. We don't doubt ourselves."
The brilliant Bowe added his voice to the chorus of disappointment by insisting the stalemate had taken the gloss off his clinical finishing.
The Osprey raised his strike rate to 24 tries in 47 Test appearances after crossing twice in the first half, the second a glorious solo effort.
"I'm delighted to score against France, tries against them aren't easy to come by so to get over twice in one day is very satisfying," the 28-year-old said.
"But of course you would hope to get a victory out of it, but unfortunately we didn't. In the second half I barely touched the ball which is a huge disappointment. It's bitter-sweet."
