Andy Farrell has played a blinder up until this point. Now even more pressure comes on.
THERE WAS a giddiness to Ireland yesterday in Tours. They had a hectic schedule between meeting thousands of the locals, hopping on a bus to train elsewhere, and then getting suited and booted for a formal ceremony at the opulent Grand Théâtre.
While Farrell has embraced rugby challenges, welcoming the chance for his players to face adversity, he has simultaneously placed a relentless emphasis on having a happy, comfortable camp. He was there at the end of the Joe Schmidt era when things became too pressurised. He saw how players feared making mistakes.
There’s nothing like a World Cup. Irish rugby fans don’t need to be told that, for all the wrong reasons. There’s nothing like the pressure of the World Cup, the ferocious competition, the unexpected twists and turns, the potential for disaster waiting around the corner. Farrell’s cup-half-full approach means Ireland also see the potential for triumph around a different corner.
Presuming Ireland can deal with Romania and Tonga in their opening two games, the Springboks will bring ferocity and physicality and World Cup-winning nous thereafter. Winning that one would lift the pressure on Ireland, otherwise it could be a winner-takes-the-quarter-final clash with Scotland two weeks later.
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