The Irish Independent's Tony Ward believes inter-squad harmony is key for Ireland ahead of the forthcoming World Cup.
"Far be it from me to defend that most selfish species, the rugby coach -- most are bold and brash enough to look after themselves -- but how anyone could be critical of what transpired at Murrayfield on Saturday is beyond me.
For all but the final few minutes of the opening game of the season, the Irish shadow line-up -- if it was even that -- went close to beating two-thirds of the Scottish first XV on their own patch.
But where are we going here? In all honesty, does it really matter whether we won 6-3 or lost 10-6? Who cares if the record books now show that on Saturday, August 6 2011, Scotland beat Ireland in a warm-up international in Edinburgh?
Of course those at the heart of it -- the Irish players and management -- will make the appropriate soundings for public consumption, but privately the bottom-line objective was very far removed from adding a 'W' to the ego card in Murrayfield."
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