The high levels of optimism among Irish supporters for a series win in Australia this month aren't necessarily naive; Ireland are an excellent side that have just won a Grand Slam, but people seem to be forgetting how good Australia can be, not to mention the fact that Ireland only beat the Wallabies by … Continue reading Australia v Ireland: Series Preview
Category: Andy Farrell
Glory Days
One of the things that stood out for me in Ireland’s Grand Slam celebrations on Saturday was the restrained emotion from Joe Schmidt in his post-match interview. It’s not unusual for players or coaches to find it difficult to contain their emotions after a big win, but it confirmed a long-held view of mine … Continue reading Glory Days
Ireland v Scotland: Match Preview
The words ‘banana peel’ have been used to describe this weekend's clash with Scotland in certain quarters of the Irish media since before this tournament kicked off. It’s a bad mindset for any Irish supporter, player or coach to be in, because Ireland have been guilty of not showing Scotland enough respect in years … Continue reading Ireland v Scotland: Match Preview
Damp Squib
Ireland's final November International ended in an anti-climactic 28-19 victory over the Pumas. The ponderous nature of Mathieu Raynal's refereeing didn't help in terms of making the contest a spectacle, and neither did the freezing cold conditions, but when you look back at how the last clash between these sides produced one of the … Continue reading Damp Squib
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