GEORGE GREGAN LOOKS at Ireland’s recent run of form and delivers a word of warning.
“I remember 2018, what a year. And then a few injuries, a couple of results… It’s sport and confidence is a real funny thing,” says the former Australia scrum-half.
“There’s no way you would have predicted what happened in 2019 a year out, and that’s why it’s difficult to be talking about a World Cup now.”
Gregan is on the topic of World Cups because for the last year, every big Ireland Test game has been framed around what it might mean come France 2023.
The Australian is well qualified to offer Ireland some words of wisdom. The most-capped Wallaby of all time, the former Brumbies player was a key part of the Australia side that captured the Webb Ellis Cup in 1999.
“It feels like it’s starting tomorrow, but there’s still so much water under the bridge before then,” he continues.
“It’s about the mindset of your players going into it, thinking, ‘OK, it’s a new tournament’ and that’s the really hard thing about a World Cup, when you finally get there it’s a seven-week sprint and what you’ve done before that, to be fair, really doesn’t matter.
It can help you because you can call upon the big moments that you have experienced, but it’s still a different beast, the Rugby World Cup. It’s good to be going in and playing well, developing your squad and winning. But it’s always dangerous to be talking about a World Cup this far out because there are so many variables still to play out.”
Australia can often blow hot and cold in between World Cups but their record at the tournament is far superior to Ireland’s – champions in 1991 and 1999, the Wallabies have also finished as runners-up twice, third once, and reached the semi-finals on six occasions.
Ireland will head to France next year looking to break the quarter-final barrier for the first time.
“I’m not being smart, but they’ll just win one (quarter-final) and then they’re two wins away from being world champions,” Gregan adds.
“I like my golf and I watched Cam Smith win his Major (2022 Open), he knew he had to birdie five holes in a row and get it done.
“It was lucky enough to be there watching it and was just amazing, it was what live sport is all about. Rory [McIlroy] was playing beautiful golf, he was doing nothing wrong but in live sport, someone – or a team – will do something they’ve never done before because of the occasion.
“Someone will take it on but to do so, Cam had to come up with a PB. Rory wasn’t going to give it to him. That’s the live theatre of sport and someone like Rory is going to bring out your best, and someone in this series or next year is going to bring out something you haven’t done before, and it’s about executing in that moment and having those good memories for the next time.
“The opportunity is there, you either do it or you don’t, and once you’ve done it the mindset is, ‘Oh, we can do this’.
“You either win and you go forward or you go home and so it starts getting serious then. Break through that wall and they’ll be very hard to beat because they’ve got the pedigree of playing very good rugby.”
Overall, Gregan has been impressed by what he’s seen from Ireland over the course of 2022.
“I think Andy Farrell has done a great job, there’s no doubting that,” he continues.
Ireland are always good, particularly over the last decade, and they’ve been very very good against the All Blacks. They play a game which can beat anyone in the world, but they certainly feel very comfortable and confident when they play against the better teams in the world.
“They came to Australia in 2018 and beat the Wallabies in a three-match series, so they’ve done it in Australia and they’ve done it in New Zealand. I guess the challenge for them now is taking that into what is the best competition, the Rugby World Cup.
“But they’ve got a nice bank of positive experiences and I can see them evolving even more so. They’ve really impressed. Farrell is very good at reducing time and space for the teams they play against, particularly playmakers, and when they go, they go together; it’s like a green army when they don’t have the ball.
“So I think they’re going to improve. They’ve got a big carrot in front of them as well, which is obviously this Autumn Series and building into the Six Nations. They pushed France (in Paris) earlier this year and you get an understanding that they’re hungry and their best rugby is potentially ahead of them.
“I really like what I see with Ireland.”
And what of his native Australia, who continue to struggle for consistency less than a year out from the World Cup?
“On any given day they can beat anyone, that’s the frustrating piece for Dave Rennie and the team. It’s just backing up those good performances, I think that’s the challenge.
“What Dave Rennie and the selectors have done is introduced a lot more players into this Wallabies squad over a period of time, which is good. They’re getting exposure to playing Test match rugby, which is another level because you’re playing with the best players and against the best players. So that just naturally makes it a tougher competition, and also exposes anything you might need to tweak under pressure.
“I’m excited about what’s ahead of them, but it’s that consistency piece which really separates the good teams from the great.”
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