THE Rugby World Cup is upon us and it is hard to imagine that it’s four years since the last one, which ended in disaster. The Irish rugby fan will be forever scared from 2007. That World Cup held so much promise, but we all came away hurt and bewildered.
Were we all stupid to think Ireland could win the World Cup? Should we have known the team was “under cooked”? Have we learned our lessons?
From speaking to fans and hacks alike, it seems the Irish rugby public are more grounded this time around. Even though it could be argued that Ireland have a stronger team and an easier pool in this tournament.
Ireland enter the 2011 World Cup on the back of a less than impressive Six Nations and an even less impressive warm up series.
The fact remains that Ireland are not favourites for the World Cup. The team have dropped in World rankings and the loss of form of some players is alarming.
However, in 2007, Ireland were fourth in the World and we all thought we were champions in the making. Georgia, Namibia and Argentina saw to that.
The lessons that Ireland need to learn from 2007 are clear. The team needs to take each game on it’s merits. A win or a loss to Australia will not make much difference in the grand scheme of things. Some might argue that a loss would make for an easier quarter final. The hype and pressure that was present in 2007 is not there anymore. Maybe it is because of that tournament that Irish rugby fans, players and media have become more realistic.
Come 07.00 this Sunday morning, Irish fans will only be looking for a victory over Eddie O’Sullivan’s (the coach of Ireland in 2007) USA Eagles and nothing more.
The over built, under trained rugby player is now a lean, mean, well oiled machine. Well, at least it should be come Sunday morning. The dour faces on tour have been replaced by happy thoughts. The ‘ladyboys’ of Leinster have been replaced by double Heineken Cup champions. The engine room of Munster forwards has a point to prove and the Irish captain Brian O’Driscoll is playing better than ever.
The hype may not be there, but the ambition still remains. Time to see if those lessons were indeed learned.
