The clash between Les Bleus and the All Blacks lived up to expectations and set the stage for what is anticipated to be the most exciting tournament yet. The action-packed opening weekend continues with matches between England and Argentina, as well as South Africa and Scotland.
The once significant gap between the northern and southern hemisphere teams has significantly narrowed. In the nine previous tournaments, only one victory was claimed by a northern hemisphere team, which happened to be England two decades ago. We still remember that memorable team due to an incident involving the Irish team and the English President Mary McAleese, where she ended up walking on the grass instead of the red carpet during a meeting, despite England being instructed to move but refusing to do so before a Grand Slam decider.
Moving on, Ireland holds the title of reigning Grand Slam champions and enters the World Cup as one of the favorites, alongside France, New Zealand, and South Africa.
While our international football team continues to struggle, the fortunes of our rugby team have never been better. Currently ranked No. 1 in the world, Ireland has a relatively easy start to the tournament with a match against Romania, one of the lowest-ranked teams. Anything less than a decisive victory would come as a surprise.
Nevertheless, Ireland’s coach Andy Farrell has selected a strong team, led by the returning Johnny Sexton after injury and suspension. The upcoming challenge against Tonga will be slightly tougher, but the real tests within the group will be against South Africa and Scotland. We cannot underestimate the difficulty of advancing from a group that includes the first, second, and fifth-ranked teams in the world.
With the recent streak of success, there is a level of expectation for Ireland to excel. However, Irish fans have experienced disappointment before, entering a World Cup on a high note only to see their hopes shattered. Ireland has never surpassed the seemingly insurmountable hurdle of the quarterfinals, but this time there is a belief that things will be different.
Thankfully, the issues of experience, preparation, and squad depth that plagued previous attempts seem to have been addressed this time around.
Building on the success of the so-called golden generation of 15 years ago, the current group of players excels in several positions, especially Sexton, Josh van der Flier, and Tadhg Furlong. We are no longer reliant on a few key players to carry the burden when facing top-class opponents. Ireland’s squad is capable of matching any team.
Ireland fans can’t help but dream of a run similar to the Italia ’90 frenzy in football. The nation holds its breath once again.
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