The 2019 Rugby World Cup Review

So the rugby World Cup in 2019 was one for the ages. Japan a unique setting. A vibrant country full of colour , breathtaking attractions and atmospheric matchdays. Being from Ireland our nation expected. Beaten in the last 4 quarter finals we were expected to deliver a semi final spot. Our group consisted of Samoa and Russia who were considered the whipping boys of the group. Our neighbors Scotland , who on their day can beat anybody. Also Japan, the host nation with the pressure of expectations of their people. Would they thrive on home soil or crumble under the pressure? Our first game again Scotland was a very impressive showing. A 27-3 win wasn’t what many people expected. A key question to note was were Ireland good or were Scotland poor? A little bit of both it seemed. Next up Japan. Win this and Ireland would surely top the group . In a carnival atmosphere in Yokohama, Ireland took an early lead but in the second period were blown away by the slickness of the Japanese and there willingness to run from deep. A 19-12 defeat it turned out , a huge postmortem would follow both within the camp and with Irish fans all over. Our 3rd pool game brought us up again Russia. A amateur nation in rugby terms surely nothing but a bonus point would do. A 35-0 victory failed to convince many. It was a game which regardless of winning by any stretch, nobody would be exactly fearing us come the later stages of the tournament. Our final group game brought us up against Samoa. In a bruising sometimes stop start game, Ireland ran in 5 tries. And with Scotland losing to Japan our place in the quarter finals assured. One would come to expect New Zealand were many people’s favorites to win the silverware come November 2nd, so to stop them would need a monumental performance. Unfortunately at 10am Irish time  on a Saturday morning , Johnny Sexton kicked off, our slender level of optimism was thrown out the window. Ireland were battered in the line out , the scrum in open play and most importantly on the score board. New Zealand ran out comfortable winners and Joe Schmitz’s reign as Irish head coach came to a frustrating and agonizing end.  So once again Ireland’s World Cup dreams fell at the quarterfinals stage. It’s now a case of looking to the future and trying to find the balance that can allow us to compete with the worlds best on a consistent basis. In the other quarter finals England powered past Australia. Wales suprised many by beaten the French. And in the last quarter final South Africa beat a tigerish and dogget Japanese outfit. So the semi final pairings were England vs New Zealand and Wales vs South Africa. England were up first and unlike us, beat New Zealand playing in a New Zealand typed  manner. Not many saw that coming. Eddie Jones certainly had his homework done. A lot of jealous paddies I can safely say. In the other semi final South Africa pipped Wales by 3 points. The welsh did themselves proud. The springboks on the other hand hoping it could be a springboard to world glory. So the scene was set November 2nd England vs South Africa. The northern hemisphere vs the southern. In a closely fought first half England trailed narrowly at half time, with the South African back row particularly impressive. However in the second period the Springboks put the boot in running in, with 3 more tries to England’s solitary penalty. South Africans worldwide escatic. England’s run had been ran. Many people pointed to their semi finals exploites again the All Blacks as a justification for their showing. Personally, South Africa we’re hungry to show the world that belief , hunger and massive  resilience can lead to great things. How right they were. 

Steven Kelly 14/11/19