The criticism has been rife of Ireland after a disappointing 2025 Six Nations which saw a three-peat attempt culminate in a third-place finish.
Their Grand Slam success in 2023 was followed by an emphatic title defence 12 months on, in which Ireland notably obliterated rivals France in Marseille.
France exacted revenge with a demolition job of Ireland this time around, en route to their 2025 Championship success.
That loss was the sole defeat of Ireland's campaign, however England would also suffer just one defeat, putting more points on the board to pip Ireland to second place.
Ireland beat England in round one before comfortably getting by Scotland, but struggled in wins against tournament outsiders Wales and Italy.
The backing of youngster Sam Prendergast in favour of more experienced alternative Jack Crowley proved to be a contentious issue as the 22-year-old struggled to stake a claim for the starting shirt.
Meanwhile, a change in approach at Leinster - where Jacques Nienaber has changed the philosophy from what Stuart Lancaster had implemented - undoubtedly had an effect on a Leinster-dominated Ireland squad.
Both topics have dominated post-tournament discussion as stakeholders come to terms with Ireland's apparent decline over the last two months.
Donncha O'Callaghan slams Ireland rugby fans mentality
However, Ireland legend Donncha O'Callaghan is not buying into the post-tournament doom and gloom which has dominated discussion in recent days.
The Munster man was speaking on his podcast The Offload alongside co-host Tommy Bowe, when he refuted the negativity and instead took aim at the mentality of Irish rugby fans.
The Heineken Cup winner put Ireland's campaign into context, stressing they had lost just one game to the eventual winners.
Call it time of death, they lost one match - France," he said.
"We bopped France in Marseille (in 2024), the exact same thing happened to us. Do we roll over and go 'we are sh*te at rugby'?
"It wrecks my head, this Irish mentality that we are all behind you but then when it goes we all go 'ahh!' - you know what I mean?
"No way. This team have been too good for too long to get the kicking they are currently getting."
There was a similar atmosphere after Ireland's 2023 World Cup near-miss, before they went on to win the 2024 Six Nations in dominant fashion and notably without Johnny Sexton at the wheel.
The 2025 Lions Tour will take some of the attention away from the Irish setup despite summer fixtures against Portugal and Georgia but there sure is to be major scutiny come the Autumn internationals.
