Brian Kerr is now more convinced than ever that Ireland's World Cup destiny will not be resolved until the final game of the campaign.
It would appear Group Four will go down to the wire, and that Ireland's Lansdowne Road battle with Switzerland on October 12 will prove the defining moment in whether they head to Germany, face a play-off or the agony of elimination.
As the group now stands, Ireland lead Switzerland by a point, Israel by two and France by three, but with the Swiss and French having played a game less.
At least Kerr's side head into the summer break out in front, albeit after making hard work of the last few days with a 2-2 draw against Israel on Saturday and a 2-0 win in the most miserable of conditions against the Faroe Islands in Torshavn last night.
"I am glad we are top with three games to go, and we can stay on top if we get maximum points from our last three games," assessed Kerr.
"We wanted six points from these two games, but we got four and we've managed to keep ourselves in a position where we have a chance."
