Last weekend’s stunning victory over New Zealand was Ireland’s most significant result since Jackie Kyle’s team of 1948 won the Grand Slam. That wonderful team re-established the future of rugby unity on the island, both North and South, after the second World War.
When the inspirational players of Kyle’s generation graced our fields winning a Grand Slam was rugby’s pinnacle. There was no greater prize. In 1987, when the northern hemisphere teams reluctantly competed in the first Rugby World Cup, all that changed.
The true Holy Grail of rugby is now global. A Grand Slam is an extraordinary achievement but the William Webb Ellis trophy is rugby’s ultimate prize.
Shamefully, Ireland have lost nine World Cup quarter-finals in a row. Ireland’s coach Andy Farrells mission is to drastically change that situation.
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In a truly astonishing achievement, Farrell and his staff have reconstructed this Irish team from the rubble of the 2019 World Cup to empower Johnny Sexton’s team to smash through a century-old barrier and catapult Ireland into the elite club of rugby nations who have defeated New Zealand on Kiwi soil.
In winning a Test and then defeating the New Zealand Maori this has become Ireland’s most successful tour of all time. Ireland now hope to emulate England (2003), South Africa (2019) and Australia (1991 and 1999,) who all defeated New Zealand in Aotearoa in the years immediately prior to their World Cup successes.
The true gravitas of the victory in Dunedin is that Ireland can now rightfully aspire to emulate those feats. One of the three World Cup campaigns I was privileged to observe at very close quarters was that of the 1999 winning Wallabies. Their coach Rod McQueen was a highly detailed long-term planner. The Wallabies draw suggested that they should face New Zealand in the 1999 final. No one could have foreseen the French producing one of rugby’s greatest ever matches and knock the Kiwis out at the semi-final stage.
So a major goal in preparing for 1999 World Cup was to slay the myth of the black jersey on their home soil and place doubt in Kiwi minds before the tournament. In 1998, a year out from the World Cup, the Wallabies defeated New Zealand 27-23 at Lancaster Park, Christchurch.
I attended that match on a cold, clear New Zealand winter day. At full-time the shift of momentum towards the Wallabies was something that you could physically feel.
Farrell’s planning is that Ireland may have to defeat New Zealand at the quarter-final stage in next year’s World Cup. Last Saturday in Dunedin that same feeling from 1999, of momentum swinging from the ancient champion to the upstart contender, could be physically felt. The pendulum swung drastically towards the men in green.
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Prior to the last two World Cups in England (2015) and Japan (2019), Ireland did not have an attacking game plan that could score enough points to defeat great teams away from home. Critically, they also did not possess a mindset with enough power for success. Defeats to the far lesser talented teams of Argentina in 2015 and Japan in 2019 support this as fact.
Mentally, spiritually and tactically Ireland did not have what it takes to compete at the elite end of World Cups. Always transfixed with the annual Six Nations, Ireland could never look far enough ahead for World Cup success.
Crucially, Irish preparations for past World Cups have been built on foundations of sand because they did not have a game plan capable of scoring enough tries against the great teams to win.
In its essence, this meant that Irish teams had not done the level of work required to win in the years prior to World Cups. As the sign over the door of the USA Olympic Training Centre at Colorado Springs states, “It’s not every four years, it’s every day”.
But that was in the past. The two victories over the past seven days are the result of two years of hard work by Farrell and his staff. The team mirrors Farrell’s own journey to find his own voice as a coach.
In the beginning, Farrell was trying to be a loyal Joe Schmidt clone. This failed to the point that termination of his contract was a real possibility. One of Farrell’s strengths is that he understands that failing is not failure. After a series of very poor Irish performances, he read the tea leaves. There was a deep and honest evaluation that led to the creation of a new innovative plan. This has resulted in a massive change within the philosophy of play, selection policies, game plans and culture.
In finding his own voice Farrell has moved from being a coach close to dismissal to becoming a transformational leader and more power to him. The performance of the Irish team since November 2021 has been nothing short of astonishing.
Perhaps Farrell’s greatest achievement has been the growth of Ireland’s mental capabilities to take on the world’s best away from the support of Lansdowne Road.
The former New Zealand captain Todd Blackadder said in 2002 that “Test match rugby is a mental exercise; you can be the most gifted team in the world but that counts for nothing if your mind isn’t totally focused and that can only come with experience. We have to acquire the mental toughness to bring the World Cup back to where it belongs.”
Todd’s wise words are totally accurate. Defeat at Eden Park was the experience that forced the Irish team to grow their mindset to the point capable of winning in Dunedin. Growing the mental strength required for success at World Cups can only be achieved by performing against great opponents before the World Cup.
Ireland are gaining the vital experiences of performing and winning in rugby’s most ferocious environment.
The Irish players have proved to themselves that if they play to the optimum level of their abilities, their game plan can beat the best the world can offer, in the toughest of environments
That is the reason why the third Test in Wellington is close to irrelevant. With two wins on this tour Ireland are already successful. New Zealand need to save face and win the series, Ireland do not.
No matter what the result brings, Ireland will take away from this tour buckets of belief in their coaches and themselves. Along with confidence in their game plan and their mental strength to cope with any environment.
Everything in Irish rugby must now be totally focused on what has real value before the 2023 World Cup. Australia, South Africa, France and England are all at home next season. That is a super preparation for Ireland.
When Ireland defeated New Zealand in Dunedin, their stock exchange, the NZX, dropped. The Kiwis lost confidence. If the market theories hold any truth of being not only logical but also emotional, then the Euronext Dublin should have a rather bullish session come Monday morning.
