Rory Best admitted Ireland's fixation with their World Cup quarter-final sticking point proved their undoing in the record 46-14 defeat to New Zealand.
Ireland leaked seven tries in Tokyo en route to their record World Cup defeat, with Aaron Smith crossing twice and Beauden Barrett, Codie Taylor, Matt Todd, George Bridge and Jordie Barrett all also scoring.
Ireland lost their seventh quarter-final in nine World Cups, with their wait for a maiden semi-final now set to last at least 36 years given the next tournament is not until 2023.
Veteran hooker Best's Ireland career is now at an end after 124 caps, the 37-year-old Ulster stalwart now retired in the wake of that crushing All Blacks defeat.
Ireland have long since admitted experimenting in this year's Six Nations in a bid to peak at the World Cup, but Best has now conceded that strategy backfired.
"There is a lot of pressure on them and I think we allowed them to get a good start which took a little bit of the pressure off," said Best.
"Everyone talks about the pressure that's on the All Blacks before quarter-finals but when you haven't won one and you feel you have a great coaching set-up and great group of players then maybe you put too much pressure on.
"Maybe we have been looking at this for too long and been so focused on it that we forgot to win some of the little battles along the way over the last 12 months.
"We wanted to set a bar than no Irish team has met before. We've done that numerous times over the six and half years with Joe (Schmidt).
"It was an onus on us to win a quarter-final because then it becomes a habit.
"We talked about it years ago. I remember Paul O'Connell saying when we beat France three times in a row leading into the last World Cup that it then becomes a habit because you expect to beat France.
"Before that they always seemed to be the team that stopped us winning grand slams.
"With Joe, he helped take away a bit of the fear factor that the All Blacks held in the last three Tests. But when you do that they see you coming a lot more and when you get the best team in the world fully prepared and fully focused on you it becomes that little bit more difficult.
"And when you make a few errors and you let them get their tails up it becomes even more difficult."
😢A painful end for a true Irish Warrior
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) October 19, 2019
A very emotional Rory Best fights back the tears as his #RWC2019 and Irish career comes to an endpic.twitter.com/8d9YivK9yD#NZLvIRE
Ireland claimed a penalty try and a score for Robbie Henshaw but that proved scant consolation as the All Blacks ran riot at Tokyo Stadium to book a semi-final meeting with England.
Boss Joe Schmidt has now taken charge of Ireland for the final time, with defence specialist Andy Farrell due to step into the head coaching role.
Astute Kiwi coach Schmidt had led Ireland to three Six Nations titles, including one Grand Slam, and the nation's maiden two victories over back-to-back world champions New Zealand.
But Schmidt was simply not able to steer Ireland to World Cup history, and Best admitted that will hurt for some time to come.
Asked to sum up his feelings in defeat, Best said: "Tired, sore, upset. Right now you focus on just what's gone and we're incredibly disappointed.
"We've got a lot of big characters in that changing room and it's not often that you get deadly silence.
"There were some of those big men in tears. That's what happens when everybody puts their heart and soul into something.
"You hope you'll get time to reflect on what's been an incredible few years for this team.
"This World Cup we've had some big occasions. There was so much pressure put on at the start. We don't start tournaments well.
"But we produced a big performance against Scotland. We dipped against Japan who look like they are going from strength to strength. They're a fantastic team.
"It's been a little bit of a roller-coaster of emotion, pressure, everything. But what's been really good is the way this group has stuck together.
"We went into this game fully believing, expecting to win - but but it just didn't happen for us.
"This World Cup in Japan has a lot of things - upsets, weather, some high performances. But credit has to go to Japanese Rugby and World Rugby for bringing it here. It's been a fantastic tournament and we're upset to be leaving it.
"I'm really upset with the thought I'll never pull on a green jersey again except to go and support."
