At the Stade de France,
Coming out first from the pool of death at the 2023 Rugby World Cup should make one’s chest puff out, but there is an anomaly in Irish hegemony that we would almost forget with the 17 victories in a row, and which justifies the retained by coach Andy Farrell: the novelty of his status. Being ultra-favorite is a contradiction for Ireland, who have never made it past the quarter-finals in the World Cup. So before thinking about lifting the Webb-Ellis trophy, she relishes, after the comfortable success against Scotland (36-14), being able to sit at the big table. That of its next opponent, New Zealand.
“They’re a great team and it’s great for little Ireland to be put in the discussion against these teams,” Farrell said. I hope we got respect but let’s not forget the respect of other great nations. They must be looking forward to playing this match to try to score points.” “The New Zealanders have said it, they want a revenge,” Johnny Sexton continued at a press conference. And we have to be honest, playing the All Blacks when they have this state of mind is one of the biggest challenges in world rugby. »
Ireland leads 5-3 against the All Blacks since 2016
The Irish also have the right to invoke vengeful spirits. Certainly, they remain on two consecutive victories against New Zealand and have had a positive record since their first success in 2016 (5 to 3). But these are the same All Blacks who kicked them out of Japan in 2019 after an uneventful match. A flashback which allows us to realize how far we have come. From a (very) disappointing World Cup a few months after a brilliant VI Nations tournament, Sexton’s teammates have moved on to a machine that no grain of sand can stop.
From the mouth of Greg Townsend, coach of the latest victim: “if Ireland plays like today, [samedi] she will be very hard to beat. They truly are the best in the world, and there’s a reason for that. In attack, when you give them an entry point into your 22m, they turn it into points. » The first two tests carried out by the Sexton-Aki-Ringrose trio are the perfect illustration of this. Speed, mischief, control, it’s all there.
But the worst part of all this is that it’s nothing compared to the defense of the XV du Trèfle. We knew she was capable of repelling the attacks of South African brutes for 80 minutes, now she is a breaker of offensive flights. It was enough to resist between the 10th and 15th minute, an opposing sequence of 17 minutes of play, up to a Scottish forward, to definitively get into the enemy’s skull and undermine the morale of his troops. A key moment of the match identified by Townsend: “I thought they were monumental in defense when they were under a bit of pressure in the first twenty minutes. It’s an extraordinary team. »
The Irish not even 100% yet?
Andy Farrell, for his part, welcomes the linear progression of his men in this sector. “We are always solid in defense but when you spend weeks together, you expect everything to be perfect. It’s no secret: a World Cup is won on defense. » Seeing how the Irish have once again put their heads in the rucks or their way of sending Scots flying reduced to the condition of ten year old children, we can say that they are already not far from the world title .
Ah, we said “the worst of it all”, but there is even worse. Ireland did not lose any feathers against Scotland, turned very early in the second half (Sexton came out in the 45th) and will be fresh as the morning dew. It’s not over: the team is not yet at 100% of what it can produce according to its coach. “Neither me nor the team think we have shown what we can do best. It’s matches like next week’s that will really allow us to reveal who we really are. » In case of victory, it will be time to assume the status of big favorite and put false modesty in the closet.