The consensus in Ireland appears to be that Pascal Pape behaved unreasonably by wincing in pain and going to ground after Sean O'Brien punched him in the gut.
Alan Quinlan stands squarely inside the consensus.
In his Independent.ie column, Quinlan says he is hoping that the French get hammered against New Zealand this evening. He has no desire to see the underdog succeed, no desire to see a repeat of 1999 or 2007.
It's all Pape's fault. Not for kneeing Jamie Heaslip but for his reaction to being punched in the stomach by Sean O'Brien. His weepy victim impact statement to the citing authorities didn't go down well either.
The loss of Sean O'Brien is a massive loss for Ireland, and I must say I was disgusted with the way the French handled themselves. How they pushed for a long suspension leaves a sour taste, especially considering how Pascal Pape carried on.
I'm not condoning punching in the game, but the way he hit the turf and went on as if there was something wrong with his ribs was rotten. Everyone knows there was nothing wrong with Pape and it didn't seem to hamper him during the game. I really hope New Zealand go out and wallop them today for their horrible behaviour.
The French didn't cover themselves in glory last week. They forsook the usual 'what happens on the field, stays on the field' omerta. But one might also conclude that had Glenn Whelan clocked someone in the stomach after minimal provocation, the resulting press might have been more condemnatory.
