Expectation meets reality
IN ALL FAIRNESS
You know when you are among the elite when things start to falter and the criticism that follows is severe. In the last week, the Republic of Ireland men’s football team has enjoyed some rare positivity off the back of reaching the playoffs for the World Cup while it is equally as rare for the Ireland men’s rugby team to be in the negative space previously occupied by their footballing counterparts.
There has been some gnashing of teeth among some sections of the footballing fraternity at the upturn in fortunes of Irish rugby, particularly since it went professional thirty years ago this year, has claimed much of the space previously occupied by round ball.
In one way, thankfull they have as we have had a regularly successful team to follow, who have performed to a high level since the fortunes of the football team began to fall after the 2002 World Cup. Since, then the Republic of Ireland have qualified for just the 2012 and 2016 European Championships. In terms of rugby in that period, Ireland has enjoyed a golden era with 6 Six Nations titles, three of which were Grand Slams and 8 Triple Crowns. At club level, Munster have won the European Cup twice with Leinster winning it on four occasions. What that level of success brings is expectation and that is where rugby is at the moment with results against the elite opponents not going their way. The one thing the haters of Irish rugby here at home (and there are many) like to throw at the men’s team is they have failed to get beyond a quarter final at the World Cup. Yes, it’s a fact and something they’ll have to wear around their necks with until such time as they break through that barrier.
Still, the team remains the best chance of winning a World title in an elite team sport, even though another thing that is thrown at rugby is that so few countries take it seriously. Well, those big countries include England, France, and Australia, and leading rugby nations South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina, so it’s not just any countries. There aren’t many team events where Ireland can aim to be the best in the world so why be critical of being ambitious. The men’s football team don’t have the same pressure as they scramble to qualify for an expanded 48 team tournament in North America next summer, with no chance of winning it.
The good times Irish rugby has experienced have largely overshadowed the disappointing ones, particularly the 2007 World Cup when Ireland exited at the group stage, but they rebounded to win a first Grand Slam in 61 years, within two years, and over the last decade have beaten the best of the best, both at home and abroad. There is only one thing left to achieve is at the World Cup which is now less than two years away. Such is the be all and end all the World Cup has become, most things in the game are now looked at through a four-year cycle to the next tournament in Australia, and you can’t accuse Ireland of peaking too soon as they have been tagged with being in the past.
The eleven year period when Ireland won 5 Six Nations was a golden era, with elite players but the point has been reached where some of the great leaders such as Jonathan Sexton and Peter O’Mahony have retired, and many others still donning the green are entering the latter stages of the careers. There is definitely rejuvenation needed and some pain will be endured for Ireland before they come out the other end. Head Coach Andy Farrell is well respected enough to understand this and it may well be after this set of Autumn Internationals could have been his referendum on the current players and whether more new blood is needed.
It would certainly appear the latter and that process is underway, particularly the Prendergast/Crowley axis at out-half. Neither are the finished article by any means but hopefully over the next two years with more experience and maturity, they will turn into the players they have the potential to be. The pile-on on Prendergast, particularly from Munster supporters, is particularly ugly. He is still only 22 and his body is still developing to cope with the physicality of the likes of South Africa.
Hopefully, Tipperary’s own Brian Gleeson will be one of those to help turn the tide in the coming months, particularly if he comes back in the same form he was in prior to his injury in his eye-catching performance against Leinster which saw him drafted into the Ireland squad, but unable to feature.
The best team usually sets the trend and at the moment, South Africa and their physicality are that, aided by an impressive kicking game, although is leading to an ugly spectacle which is reminiscent of the 2007 World Cup which they won, and following which led to a raft of rule changes as the games were so dull. We aren’t at that point yet but are heading in that direction if the authorities don’t do something about it.