It is one of the great ironies. Joe Schmidt has been widely praised as one of the most detail-oriented coaches since arriving on these shores, yet on the other hand has been accused by some for failing to operate a plan B.
A home defeat in the Six Nations is always a time for introspection and in such a keenly contested tournament, two bad displays and you are battling at the wrong end of the table.
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The reigning champions travel to Murrayfield this Saturday and a third of the team has been changed from the 32-20 defeat last time out.
Three are enforced, one is tactical and the other is a bit of a grey area.
The questions around full-back have been answered with Rob Kearney's return, aided and abetted by Robbie Henshaw's dead leg. The Leinster man picked up a knock against England, only took part in limited training and Tuesday and was not on the pitch at all today at Carton House.
Could he have played against the Scots?
"Maybe he could have played, the problem is if you get another bump on it, it debilitates you pretty quickly," Schmidt told RTÉ Sport.
Seán O'Brien replaces provincial team-mate Josh van der Flier, while Kearney, Chris Farrell and Jack Conan profit from injury misfortune of others.
The strategy employed by Schmidt and his coaching team to lead Ireland to silverware and genuine World Cup contenders has been founded on relentless discipline, defensive structure, and an attacking strategy that harnesses a normally deadly accurate kick-chase game.
Garry Ringrose has brought more guile into midfield and Jacob Stockdale has caused defences nightmares in both hemispheres, but rightly or wrongly, some critics feel that the Six Nations champions are too reliant on Conor Murray's box-kicking and superiority in the air.
Those viewpoints became more audible following Saturday's setback, but Schmidt isn't overly concerned with outside voices. And it isn't a new experience for the decorated Head coach.
"I'd be interested to know how they would describe our plan A," he said. "I do think we always get a lot of advice.
"There wouldn't be too many weeks that go by that I don't get a letter suggesting somebody play here, or suggesting our set plays, or suggesting something.
"And that's when we are winning. When you lose, you expect at least three letters. People will be saying a lot about how we are playing, about a plan A, B, C or D and what they look like, so I'm not sure how they summarise plan A."
"I think we have a very good game. We are strong off set-piece, we play a varied kicking game and we try to vary our defensive game. I guess I will leave them to do their analysis and we will keep on doing what we are doing and try to improve."
The challenge facing Ireland is a formidable one. Italy only put a gloss on the scoreboard at Murrayfield when the game was done and dusted. The backline has sparkle in it, Finn Russell is the maverick at 10 and the pack is boosted Edinburgh and Glasgow personnel that have been performing so well this campaign in both the Pro 14 and in Europe.
In typical Schmidt form, more than half the Scottish team was name-checked - he expressed his admiration for last week's hat-trick hero Blair Kinghorn who has to settle for a place on the bench - but is expecting Gregor Townsend's side to try and replicate the blueprint that served England so well at the Aviva Stadium.
"Across the board, I think they'll play with tempo. I think they will try to vary it up and get the ball in behind us.
"They will be looking to play with very fast rucks with the counter-attack threat that they have."
Proof that time is a good healer was the 53-year-old's jovial response to his recollection of the last trip to Edinburgh and the delayed bus journey to the stadium as the home side came up trumps.
"It's an incredibly simple route from the Balmoral to Murrayfield. Quite how the policeman got lost will forever be a bit of a mystery to us," he said, adding that he questioned friend and then Scotland head coach Vern Cotter whether it had been a deliberate ploy.
There will be few Irish eyes smiling if both sides are two from two come Saturday evening.
Follow Scotland v Ireland (2.15pm) via our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the News Now app, or listen to live national radio commentary on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport.
