Ireland's resurgence a threat to Boks' RWC three-peat quest?
OPINION: After each Rugby World Cup quarterfinal exit by Ireland, fans and pundits resort to the same question: “Did Ireland peak too early?”
And that question holds merit. Ireland crashed out of every single RWC quarterfinal they participated in, despite being dominant in between the global showpiece.
Outgoing Wallaby coach Joe Schmidt took the reins in 2013 and led Ireland to back-to-back Six Nations titles in 2014 and 2015.
Ireland, however, suffered a 20-43 quarterfinal loss to Argentina in the 2015 World Cup.
In 2016, they defeated New Zealand for the first time in their history and before repeating that feat in 2018 and 2021 in Dublin
They went on to record a first-ever 2-1 series win in 2022 against New Zealand in their own backyard.
In 2018, Ireland did the treble by winning the Six Nations, Grand Slam and Triple Crown, and history repeated itself when they did the same in 2023, followed by a consecutive Six Nations title in 2024.
They’ve also recorded six wins in 10 matches against the Springboks since 2014, including a record 38-3 win in 2017 and sharing a two-match series against South Africa in the Republic 1-1.
Despite all that dominance, they still failed to progress to the RWC semifinals in 2019 and 2023 after falling short against New Zealand on both occasions.
There were concerns among the Irish rugby fraternity that the team could be in decline after a few sub-par performances, especially after their Six Nations defeat against France in Round One this season, questioning whether some of the older heads in the team have hit their ceiling.
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What we have seen as the tournament progressed is an Ireland side improving week in and out, and more importantly, those veterans who were doubted, such as Jamison Gibson-Park and Stuart McCloskey, stepping up to the plate and showing they’re not done just yet.
They’ve also settled on their flyhalf conundrum, with Jack Crowley entrusted with the playmaking role after playing deputy to Sam Prendergast, who delivered erratic performances, in the opening two rounds of the tournament.
What’s also important to remember is that Andy Farrell didn’t have the services of fullback Hugo Keenan, wing Mack Hansen and prop Andrew Porter for the entire campaign – three players who are first-choice starters.
Former Ireland prop Mike Ross feels that Crowley took a firm grip on the No.10 jersey, but he wouldn’t write Prendergast off in the long run.
“He [Jack Crowley] has taken the jersey,” said Ross.
“I think he and ‘le petit general’ [Gibson-Park] are building something together.
“I would fancy Sam [Prendergast] to come back into the frame, after rebuilding his confidence at Leinster.
“Ireland are very lucky to have two talented young flyhalves.”
Globally speaking, Ross believes it is a pretty rosy picture.
“We [Ireland] are in a good place,” he said. “I am cautiously optimistic.”
Ross noted Ireland’s progression during the Six Nations and hailed Farrell for building squad depth, albeit that some were forced due to the above-mentioned injured players
“Farrell really has succeeded in developing the depth of the squad, I think more so than there was ahead of the 2023 World Cup,” said Ross.
“Take the loosehead prop position. There were a few difficult weeks, but now there is a bit more optimism.
“Tom O’Toole, who was the fifth choice, was amazing against Wales and Scotland.
“Jeremy Loughman also played well before he was injured, so they both gave an idea of what life without Porter looked like.”
With the Nations Championship coming up, Ireland will face Australia, Japan and New Zealand in July before coming up against Argentina, Fiji and South Africa in November.
Any lingering questions regarding their form will become clearer, but should they take down the big dogs, they could be well primed to break their RWC quarterfinal hoodoo and possibly meet the Boks in the 2027 Final in Sydney.
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Additional source: AFP
