Ireland’s campaign under coach Philip Doyle would also end in a resounding 31-0 defeat to champions England.

But despite ending on a downer, Coghlan was quick to draw the positives from a third-place finish achieved with a squad that had been decimated by injuries and retirements following the 2010 World Cup.

“We’re very disappointed about the losses against Wales and France,” said Coghlan.

“With the injuries and retirements coming into the tournament, we have to be happy with third, but to come so close and miss out in those two games was devastating.

“Our game management at times was very poor. We spent too much time in our own 22, especially against England, and we really have to learn how to close out a game properly.

“Our scrum definitely improved during the tournament, but the beating it took against England shows we still have a lot of work to do.

“The way the ten new caps came in and played was a massive positive.

“Our new half-back pairing of Larissa Muldoon and Nora Stapleton, as well as flanker Claire Molloy, was really impressive – Larissa especially played well in her first start and has a really bright future.”

Ireland have now achieved three consecutive third-place finishes but have yet to taste victory over Grand Slam champions England in the Six Nations.

But while Coghlan admitted that England are head and shoulders above the other teams, she believes the gap is being closed off the field.

“England have much greater numbers to choose from than the rest of us, and the structure and resources are in place to identify talent and bring it through,” she said.

“The IRFU are coming around and are now investing more into the women’s game here.

“We’re getting there. It’s a learning curve for the IRFU as well.”