Not even CSI could have nailed down what happened in the last fifty minutes - One F in Foley is runnin' around lookin' for clues
Not even CSI could have nailed down what happened in the last fifty minutes - One F in Foley is runnin' around lookin' for cluesBecause we have never solved the mystery of how, in 2019, today's Nations Championships opponents Japan orchestrated Ireland rugby's most humiliating defeat in 147 years of rugby.
Ireland had even set off for RWC2019 with high expectations, even if weighed down by the recurring chorus of not being able to get past the quarter-finals. Ireland were 'best team on the planet' through 2018, winning a Grand Slam, securing a first series win in Australia since 1979 and beating the world champion All Blacks in Dublin.
The way to get past an RWC quarter-final, it is accepted, is to win the pool but a 19-12 defeat to Japan in Shizuoka meant Ireland finished second in a Scotland, Ireland, Japan, Samoa, Russia pool. The reward was being diverted to play New Zealand, who smashed them 46-14, in the quarter-final. This coming after Ireland had opted to put the ball out of play against Japan when in possession at full-time.
Ireland, who had been 12-3 ahead after half an hour, were 'happy' with the losing bonus-point. Joe Schmidt's diary entry at the time says: "The Japanese hold plenty of width in their attack, which means they are sometimes light at the ruck, and we were keen to get pressure on their ball.
"When we couldn't impact on the security or speed of their ball, they showed the skill, power, and pace that they have. "Loose forwards, Michael Leitch and Kazuki Himeno were often in the wide channels, and they carried powerfully but they also showed the passing and off-loading ability they have, which brought the high speed threats of Kotaro Matsushima and Lomano Lemeki into the game.
"The Japanese had defended aggressively and attacked the tempo and energy that we lacked in the second half. "Their passing skills and running lines were impressive, and they committed so few errors, despite playing at such a rapid tempo, that they continually kept us under pressure. "From a neutral perspective, it was a great result for world rugby and for the tournament, with the host nation now leading the pool, and the passionate Japanese support has been magnified.
" Schmidt went on to rail against the refereeing, a common thread in Irish defeat during his reign, while Peter O'Mahony seemed to have buried it away in the back of his mind and wasn't happy when asked about it this week. Mirrorsport wondered at the time was it anything to do with 13/18 Irish missed tackles happening across the backs .
Then again Jacques Nienaber's side won that World Cup and he says the missed tackle statistic is an unreliable measure of the winning and losing of a game.2019 Rugby World Cup Pool A, Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan 28/9/2019 - Ireland skipper Rory Best dejected after the gameSchmidt again: "The match footage confirmed a few things that had frustrated us when watching the game live. There were four offside penalties given against us, which seemed very harsh.
"When Japan had the ball, the number of side entries missed at the breakdown, and players being taken out beyond the breakdown was baffling, which made it incredibly difficult for us to turn the ball over or even slow it down. " Dunno about you, but I am still traumatised at the world-ranked no1 side putting the ball out to touch to end the game at 12-19 - Dan Sheehan clearly wouldn't have stood for it!
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