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With the 2015-16 season now over and the players resting, it seemed a good time to assess Ireland’s form over the last eight months.
It has to be said that, for many reasons, the future looks bright for Irish rugby!
One of the reasons for this optimism is because of the results of Ireland’s recent series against South Africa. An injury-ravaged, Irish national side came very close to beating the Springboks in their own back yard, with several players enhancing their reputations in the process.
Another reason would be Connacht winning their first Pro12 title and playing attractive rugby along the way. Also because all four provinces will compete next season’s ERCC.
But, maybe most importantly of all, in terms of Irish rugby’s future, Ireland reached the final of the World Rugby U20 Championship for the first time ever and also became the first male Irish rugby team to beat New Zealand (the Irish ladies of course beat their New Zealand counterparts back in 2014).
Back to the international side. After a lacklustre and disappointing Six Nations (where Ireland finished fourth) and with injuries ruling out several key players, including Cian Healy, Peter O’Mahony, Sean O’Brien, the Kearneys and Jonny Sexton, hopes weren’t high for Ireland winning the series against the Springboks.
In fact, it appeared that Ireland would do well to even stay competitive in the series with many Irish fans fearing a three-test whitewash would be the result for their team.
But instead, Ireland came very close to winning the series against the Springboks, coming on top in the first Test and only succumbing to the altitude and fatigue in the second and fatigue in the third Test – though Ireland were still in the game right until the final whistle.
It has to be pointed out, in the interests of fairness, that South Africa were dealing with their own injury problems in the series. They had just got a new coach – but none of that should take away from Ireland’s performances.
Several Irish players returned from South Africa with their reputations enhanced. Paddy Jackson was the star Irish player of the tour, in my view. He had been thrown in at the deep end, after injury to Sexton, and was playing his first Tests for many months after having been overlooked by coach Joe Schmidt. But the Ulster no.10 commanded the team like a seasoned pro and has given Schmidt a headache in picking Ireland’s first choice out-half.
Rory Best led the team well at hooker and has cemented himself as Ireland’s captain. The only question mark against him would be that he has yet to finish a full game, usually been taken off at the 65th minute of the match.
The fact that there are very able replacements in Sean Cronin and Richard Strauss available, means that it may not be that much of a problem after all.
Jamie Heaslip can take over as captain as well, and Heaslip has added to his reputation after some quiet games and a poor season for Leinster, overall. Devin Toner and Iain Henderson have returned as a powerhouse duo and may soon rise to the level of a Paul O’Connell.
Jack McGrath and Jared Payne are two more players who should slot into the Irish team. Payne, who played the first two Tests before getting injured, has certainly given Rob Kearney a real challenge at full-back, having terrific games in what were his first Tests in that position.
Looking at the provincial side of Irish rugby, the pool tables for the ERCC have been selected and Connacht have been placed alongside Wasps (former two-time Heineken Cup winners) and Toulouse (former four-time Heineken Cup winners). However, showing Connacht’s great rise in recent times, the western province are actually favourites to top their pool.
Munster are third in their pool, along with Glasgow, Leicester and Racing Metro. Munster really need to reclaim the magic of old if they want to achieve great things. On a side note, the contests between Racing and Munster will be interesting, given that Racing’s kicking coach is none other that Munster legend Ronan O’Gara.
I wonder what kind of reaction he’ll get when he returns to his home stadium of Thomond Park (which isn’t the fortress it was when he played there)!
Leinster have hired former New Zealand World Cup winning coach (2011) Graham Henry, to advice them during pre-season training. Henry is considered one of the best coaches in rugby. Leinster certainly need a lot of advice. They were poor in last season’s ERCC tournament, only winning one out of six games.
They fared much better in the Pro12, though, reaching the final, only to be beaten by Connacht. Henry has been given the seal of approval by none other than Leinster and Irish rugby legend, Brian O’Driscoll.
Ulster are seeded bottom of their pool but none of the other teams have been presented with an insurmountable challenge. Each of the four Irish provinces have a chance of qualifying to the knock-out stages of the ERCC.
The upcoming season should hopefully see the dawn of a new era for Irish rugby and should also see several Irish players boarding a plane in the red of the British and Irish Lions for their tour to New Zealand in the summer of 2017!
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.