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Lieutenant George: So we are, in fact, going over. This is, as they say, it.
Captain Blackadder: I’m afraid so. Unless I can think of something very quickly.
It says much about the acting skill of Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Laurie that they could bring exactly the right mix of heavy and light to the final scene of Blackadder Goes Forth, where the poor young men in the British Army are finally about to be sent over the top, to a near-certain death.
Without wishing to trivialise war or exaggerate the importance of sport, in times past Irish people might have had a similar foreboding about a Rugby World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand. At the risk of being accused of giving a hostage to fortune, this time seems different.
In the most basic terms, it is different – the bookmakers have Ireland favourites and few if any of us thought we’d see such a day, but the logic simply cannot be quibbled with at this stage.
The run of consecutive wins for Ireland in international Test matches now stands at 17 – a streak which begin with the country’s first ever away win against the All Blacks before they backed it up with another for a series win.
Mental hurdle
When you consider that they have played all of the top European nations, South Africa twice and Australia, it’s clear that none of this is an accident. Ireland are top of the world rankings on merit. Ireland are favourites to win the World Cup on merit. When Andy Farrell said after the 36-14 win over Scotland – ranked fifth in the world – that Ireland’s best was yet to come, it wasn’t just a trite soundbite.
Obviously, the fact that Ireland have never gone beyond a World Cup quarter-final will be an issue until it isn’t one. It’s a mental hurdle that has to be overcome but the team have responded positively to such situations over the past couple of years. If there was also the hang-up about never having beaten New Zealand, that might prove too much but that aura has been punctured and the All Blacks showed against France that they are beatable.
While we can back Ireland to tick all the boxes within their control, the great imponderable is the impact of injuries.
The absence of any or all of James Ryan, James Lowe or Mack Hansen would be blows but such scenarios are why Farrell and his management have sought to build a squad with real depth.
Of course, we can’t not mention the lopsided nature of the draw. As mentioned, Scotland are fifth in the world but they were unfortunate to be drawn with Ireland and South Africa and so they are gone home – the rest of the top nine before last weekend make up the quarter-finals but not as you might expect.
Opponents
Number 1 (Ireland) against 4 (New Zealand) and 2 (France) v 3 (South Africa) is a great way to run a semi-final draw but it’s far from ideal for the quarters – on the other side, England (sixth in the world) face Fiji (tenth following their defeat to Portugal) while Wales (seventh) clash with Argentina (up from ninth to eighth).
One would hope that it’s something World Rugby could sort in time for the next competition as there is no good reason to host the draw so far in advance of the action. Still, semi-finals and possible opponents are something we don’t need to worry about before the weekend.
We won’t say that Ireland will never have a better chance to make real and tangible progress but Saturday will be as good an opportunity as they have ever had.
Here’s to another great night in Paris.
Greece is the word? It’s more likely that apathy will be the main emotion at Aviva Stadium on Friday night’s international action as The Republic of Ireland welcome Greece to Dublin in the last home game of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
In contrast to the huge anticipation that exists for the rugby match and the sense that Ireland are ready to do something special, the national football team are merely existing in a state of stasis.
Even if Stephen Kenny’s side were to beat Greece, they would still trail them by three points in the race to finish third behind France and the Netherlands. With Greece taking on the Dutch on Monday night as Ireland go to Gibraltar, there might be a chance to draw level on points but none of it feels like much to get excited about.
Turning point
If Ireland were to finish third (and don’t forget, they must go to Holland in November for their last match), there might be a sliver of a chance of qualifying for the European Championship through the UEFA Nations League route – but few if any hold out real hope of that. The portents for Stephen Kenny’s future do not look good and so the three remaining matches have a sense of meaninglessness about them.
Kenny and his management team cannot think like that and must approach the two matches with a sense of belief and adventure.
It would be nice to think that the Greece game could be a turning point of sorts – but the reality is likely to be more prosaic than that.
This Saturday, October 14 in the Clayton Hotel Liffey Valley, the second annual Women in Coaching Network Event will take place.
Jointly hosted by Athletics Ireland, IABA, Cycling Ireland, Triathlon Ireland and Rowing Ireland, it allows coaches across various sports to come together and share knowledge, experience and best practice as well as hearing from top coaches and leaders.
Those who will speak include Noelle Morrissey, who coaches Sarah Lavin, the holder of the Irish 100m and 100m hurdles record; Vicky Huyton, the founder of the Female Coachin Network; and Orna Murray, who will provide insights into female physiology and how we all have a role to play in the advancement of women in sport.
For more information and to sign up, see https://eventmaster.ie/event/MkjrsbdiBz
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