By Padraic Halpin
DUBLIN (Reuters) – Having made flattering to deceive an art form in recent Rugby World Cups, Ireland can justifiably say this time really is different when they make the short trip as genuine contenders.
Sound familiar? That was the Reuters preview of Ireland’s 2015 World Cup prospects, the last time they travelled as in-form Six Nations champions. The outcome – repeated four years later and so many times before that – was a quarter-final exit.
While a pool with two the world’s other top five sides and a likely last eight clash with France or New Zealand raises the risk of even more heartache, this is without doubt the best Irish team to push for a first spot in the semis or beyond.
Andy Farrell’s side have won 25 of their last 27 games in a run stretching back to early 2021 that includes wins over each of the world’s top 10 sides and recent standout performances against both of their potential quarter-final opponents.
There is also a calm confidence about the camp that captain Johnny Sexton has long put down to Farrell’s approach of openly talking about building towards the tournament, in contrast to each of the flyhalf’s previous three World Cup experiences.
“I think we’ve changed our mentality over the years that we can talk about looking forward to it, going and attacking it and not being pressured by having a high ranking or expectations,” Sexton said after Sunday’s squad announcement.
“We’ve had expectations on us for the last 18 months and we’ve lived up to some of it. We’re still not where we want to be, we feel there’s more in us.”
Sexton, who turned 38 last month and will retire after the tournament, remains as crucial as ever to his team’s chances.
An injury at flyhalf, where nobody has come close to unseating the Six Nations’ highest all-time scorer for over a decade, would be hard to recover from.
DEEP SQUAD
Ireland are loaded elsewhere with the kind of depth and versatility needed for an attritional seven weeks, but will also need Caelan Doris, Dan Sheehan, Garry Ringrose and world player of the year Josh van der Flier to stay fit and on top form.
If they do, it is hard to find many weaknesses with Farrell’s Ireland.
The former England assistant’s blueprint took a couple of so-so years to bed in but Ireland are far less predictable in attack while remaining ultra disciplined, punishingly accurate with their kicking game and measlier than ever in defence.
The 2023 Grand Slam winners have scored an average of more than four tries a game in the last two Six Nations campaigns while conceding an average of just one every 80 minutes, a record none of their rivals come close to.
They can also beat teams in a variety of ways, overwhelming France at their own attacking game in February before overcoming Pool B opponents Scotland two games later with van der Flier throwing in at the line-out and three props in the front row.
While Ireland did not quite exhibit the warm-up form of their main pool rivals South Africa and looked notably rusty at the maul and lineout, they go to France as the world’s top-ranked team for good reason.
“We want to win the competition, why wouldn’t we?” Farrell said on Sunday.
(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Ken Ferris)
