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Many of you reading this will come from countries that have won the Rugby World Cup. I can’t imagine the feeling, the ecstasy and pure joy it must bring to a nation.
I’ve been watching Ireland since the days of Tony Ward and Ollie Campbell. It was an amateur sport back then. I don’t think that Ireland have won a World Cup of anything in team sports except for the Elephant Polo World Cup and the Pitch and Putt World Cup but I had to google that and maybe there are some junior World Cups but I don’t remember any.
The last time I wrote an article here about Ireland in the World Cup I was full of dreams and hope. But alas, the quarter finals knocked us out yet again. The curse of the quarters. This time we will have to be at our best to even make the quarters.
I have made some comments on other articles here that Ireland will win the World Cup but in truth and to be honest with you that is just a hope.
Hopes are funny little things. It hurts when they are dashed. Every time I have watched Ireland lose a quarter there has been hurt. As a sports fan you know that feeling.
But we still keep hoping. For what is there if there is no hope. I remember watching one of Ireland’s first games under Andy Farrell and thinking something new was afoot. The passing game. The patience. The flow. The skill. And then came the depth. I always thought we lacked depth. But on that day hope woke again with a bit of a yawn.
When you get burnt you tend to stay away from fire. When you get hurt you may tend to stay away from hope. You hope not to get hurt again though.
(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
But like my love of a pint of the black stuff I can’t seem to get rid of it. It follows me everywhere (the hope – not the pint!) It pervades my thinking. It’s with me as I type these words, as I watch my young son playing this beautiful game, as I volunteer at my local club, as I shut my eyes at night and dream of what might be.
Maybe hope never dies. If Ireland crashes out of this cup, it will pain us Irish once again. We are a nation that knows pain. You just have to read our history to understand that on many levels. But we won’t moan about it. We get knocked down but we get up again.
I love this game. I’m watching every match. Getting up in the wee hours of the morning, getting strange looks from my wee puppies as I put the kettle on for a coffee. Then, the thrills, the spills, the smaller nations punching up, every man playing for his national pride, the nail biting and the heart beating.
We all love this game because it connects us. I love your articles and comments whether you be a Roar Rookie like me or an expert. And if your team wins or does better than expected then I will bask in your glory too.
The luck of the Irish hasn’t been there in our previous endeavours in these finals. Yet this year I like the look of the Irish.
Can Ireland win the World Cup? They can. Will they win the World Cup? I can only hope.
“Hope and Memory have one daughter and her name is Art, and she has built her dwelling far from the desperate field where men hang out their garments upon forked boughs to be banners of battle. O beloved daughter of Hope and Memory, be with me for a while.” – WB Yeats
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.