Ireland's Six Nations title aspirations took a significant hit following a 36-14 defeat to France, with second row Joe McCarthy admitting his poor judgment contributed to the loss. The Leinster forward acknowledged compounding errors that saw his side outplayed at Stade de France, leaving Andy Farrell's team facing an uphill battle.

McCarthy, who was player of the match in Ireland's previous win against France, has struggled with discipline in their last two meetings. The 24-year-old accepted responsibility for a critical penalty that extended France's lead to 15-0, calling it "definitely avoidable" after barging into Mickael Guillard from the side.

Despite the setback, Ireland remains confident ahead of Saturday's match against Italy. McCarthy emphasized the squad still harbors "a lot of belief" despite the bitter pill of defeat, with the team eager to respond after a tough review. The second row, who has 20 caps and made his British and Irish Lions Test debut last summer, acknowledged the need for improvement.