IT REALLY IS lingering this time. The despondency, the despair, the dejection. Often, these feelings are beginning to lift even the day after, but this one has cut deep for Irish rugby fans.
Everyone we’ve spoken to about it in the last 24 hours is feeling that doom and gloom. Everyone seems to agree that it’s going to take another while to lift.
This weekend’s World semi-finals might actually make it worse. It will be hard for Irish supporters not to feel dismayed all over again as they watch England and Argentina play in semi-finals.
Paris is a good city for reflection. It’s a wonderful place to simply stroll, observing life around you at the same time as ordering all the thoughts flitting around your head. So we’ve had some time to consider all of this.
The latest World Cup quarter-final hurts this much because Irish people allowed themselves to really believe, even to feel confident that something special was going to happen at this World Cup. In Ireland, we can be very slow to adopt such a mindset. Anyone making bold predictions gets met with a reminder not to ‘jinx it.’ Those who are openly confident are derided. Oftentimes, Irish people are genuinely at pains to talk themselves down. Get ahead of ourselves? Never.
That all changed in the last couple of weeks as Irish rugby folk dared to believe, allowed themselves to feel genuinely confident that Andy Farrell’s team were going to beat the All Blacks and reach a World Cup semi-final.
It obviously all ended in tears, but that change in mindset itself has to be viewed as a success. That Ireland made their supporters believe through their excellence on the pitch in the last two years is of value, while it also gives insight into the change the players themselves have undergone.
The days when Irish players felt inferior to others are long gone. Again, that’s a success in its own right, even if it hasn’t resulted in finally getting past a World Cup quarter-final.
One of the other reasons Irish fans are hurting so much is because they genuinely felt a connection with this team. It was obvious in the number of fans who turned up in France and how utterly engaged they were with the games, how they stayed behind for so long afterwards to sing and celebrate. Those scenes were truly glorious to witness in the flesh. Anyone who was there for Zombie will never forget it.
And it was obvious back home in the lunch room chats with people who had never talked about rugby in their lives before. It was obvious in the TV figures that peaked at 1.4 million, 1.3m, and then 1.5m last weekend. Yes, it’s a shame all those people – and the many more not accounted for in those figures – didn’t get to see Ireland making history, but the fact that they care is another little victory.
Farrell is a likeable head coach. Many of his players have earned grá from the Irish people. Take Keith Earls, for example. A Moyross man, a family man, and a man who has bravely spoken about his mental health battle. That’s the kind of fella you can root for.
Crucially, this Ireland team have made everything about family and in doing so, they remind us all of how important our own families are to us. The players’ kids and partners have been more present than ever. We have seen their pride and love in the stadiums and on TV screens. The enduring image of last weekend is little Luca Sexton telling Johnny that he’s still the best dad. All of that stuff made Irish fans felt like part of the family too.
Earls has retired now, as has captain Sexton, so this World Cup was an endpoint for this version of the Ireland team. Their big goal for the last four years had been to win the World Cup, so viewed only in that light the tournament has been a failure.
And yet, that’s unfair on how much progress this team has made. They’ve earned the respect of every other side in the world. Ireland essentially transformed the All Blacks by beating them in their series in New Zealand last year. South Africa are still talking about Ireland even though they’ve already gone home.
This devilishly difficult World Cup draw was always a danger. And Ireland are left with questions, both the specific ‘what ifs’ of last weekend’s match and the bigger-picture questions like whether it was right to go full-strength all the way or whether Ireland needed to tailor their game plan to the opposition just a little more.
But the reality is that they were a Jordie Barrett leg’s width from winning their quarter-final and then probably beating Argentina in the semi-finals, before taking their shot at the Springboks in the final. It’s not impossible to see how that might have happened had they got the ball down in the 72nd minute last weekend.
The heartening thing is that Ireland move into the next chapter with foundations that are better than ever before.
There will be calls to drastically alter things but the reality is that Irish rugby will probably make a few small tweaks and improvements, then try to keep going the way they’ve been going. Finishing high in the Six Nations and winning Tests is important for finances and world rankings – hopefully meaning a better draw at the next World Cup – but also just for the sheer joy of victory.
The IRFU’s system does many things superbly and is deservedly the envy of others. The Ireland U20s reached a World Cup final only a few months ago. The provinces are well-coached.
And even if there is deep disappointment right now, the Irish players now believe that they’re up there with the best in the world. They know the lopsided draw this time around meant two good teams were going out in the quarter-finals. Ireland know that they were one of the best four teams in this World Cup. That has never been the case before.
The players in this group won’t see last weekend as having been a choke. Instead, they’ll be able to focus on the little moments that got away in a match of incredibly fine margins.
That’s never been the case for any Ireland quarter-final team before. It’s scant consolation right now, of course. So let yourself wallow in it for as long as it takes. When everyone is ready to go again, Ireland will be pushing forward with some belief.
- This article was updated at 4.43pm to correct ‘jink’ to ‘jinx’ in the fifth paragraph.
