Andy Farrell can take Ireland forward after a quarter-final elimination unlike any other
It might be too soon to say this, while the bruises are fresh still and raw, but this is the first time Ireland have left awithout their insides loused up. Think about it. The first three tournaments were in the amateur era, when Ireland were among the world leaders in amateurism, and there were no meaningful grounds for optimism.
Remember what some of the others were like? In 2003 Ireland trailed France 27-0 at half-time; in 2015 Ireland trailed Argentina 20-0 after 22 minutes; in 2019 Ireland trailed New Zealand 22-0 at half-time, and 34-0 midway through the second half. Ireland lost those three quarter-finals by a total of 77 points.
Ireland players try to make a sense of a defeat many did not see coming. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho They didn’t win and they didn’t fold. Every Irish team before them in the professional era has folded at the World Cup. That is not a consolation. No consolation is available. By their own metric, they failed.
So, what happens next? Remember what happened after other World Cups. Going into the 2007 tournament, “Eddie O’Sullivan,” wrote O’Connell, “was the most successful coach Ireland had ever had”, an accolade that was of its time. O’Sullivan had delivered three Triple Crowns and been pipped for the Six Nations title twice on points difference. Six months after that tournament, though, O’Sullivan was forced out.