Irish Examiner view: Brave Ireland go back to the future

Last Saturday was certainly hard to take. But we will begin again.

In our hearts we are all still there on the pitch in Paris with Johnny Sexton on Saturday night. But we must look forward to contests including the next Six Nations campaign, the 2025 Women’s World Cup, not to mention Australia 2027. Picture: Dan Sheridan/Inpho

The Maori ritual of the haka, adopted by the All Blacks rugby team nearly 120 years ago, sends out a challenge to opponents. It has its detractors, a cheerless bunch of people, who complain that it confers some psychological advantage to the New Zealanders, and other critics who dislike the throat-cutting gesture which appears in some versions.

After Ireland’s brave — but ultimately doomed — attempt to get past their opponents in Paris on Saturday evening, there have been confected arguments, largely through social media or from writers looking to fill a few column inches, that supporters showed disrespect to the tradition by catcalling or singing ‘The Fields of Athenry’.